BP Oil Spill

Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana says the National Oil Spill Commission's final report on the BP oil spill is "credible and helpful in a number of ways", but disappointing.

Despite reforms put in place since the massive BP oil spill, a presidential investigating panel has concluded that the government and the oil industry still haven't done enough to avert another catastrophic accident offshore.

The administrator of BP's $20 billion oil spill claims fund returns to the Gulf Coast this week amid continued complaints that he's not compensating victims enough and that payments are coming to slowly.

Legal experts say months of investigation by Gulf oil spill panels show there's a greater likelihood that criminal charges will be filed against some of the companies involved.

The presidential panel investigating the BP oil well blowout says that a series of risky decisions that saved time and money caused the disaster — and the incident could happen again without significant reforms.

As 2010 comes to close, we look back at some of the year's top news stories with John Maginnis, of "LAPolitics.com".

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The owner of the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico is refusing to honor subpoenas from a federal board that has challenged the company's involvement in monitoring the testing of a key piece of equipment that failed to stop the oil spill disaster.

EAST GRAND TERRE ISLAND, La. (AP) — Dig 2 feet into the sand on the wind-swept beach at East Grand Terre (TAIR') Island in Louisiana and up comes the foul smell of oil.

NEW YORK (AP) — As the Gulf oil spill gushed out of control, BP's financial liabilities seemed big enough to sink the company. No more.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Before the last birds plucked from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill had left a rescue center in Hammond, La., some of the station's former staffers were looking for $2 million to open a permanent center to take charge after the next oil spill.

HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama will push back the release of his budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 by about a week, a delay administration officials blame in part on a hold placed on Obama's nominee for budget director.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The group administering BP's compensation fund for victims of the Gulf oil spill has hired several law firms and a claims administration company to help people applying for shares of the $20 billion fund.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Uncertain could be the perfect word to describe Louisiana's economy entering the new year.

Louisiana fisherman impacted by the BP Oil receive a nice Christmas gift today.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Stephen Baldwin is suing Kevin Costner over their investments in a device that BP used to try to clean up the massive Gulf oil spill.

PORT SULPHUR, La. (AP) — This could be a gloomy Christmas for many people along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of the big BP oil spill.

NEW ORLEANS - As planned and in coordination and consultation with state and local partners, the federal government's response framework for the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill will transition on Friday, allowing for long-term response operations to be overseen by regional U.S. Coast Guard units rather than surge forces.

BP has issued a statement regarding the release of the Unified Command’s Operational Science Advisory Team (OSAT) report.

The Justice Department has sued BP Exploration and Production Inc. and eight other companies in the Gulf oil spill  disaster in an effort to recover billions of dollars from the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. History.

NEW ORLEANS — Dozens of animals are still being treated at Gulf Coast rescue centers five months after the capping of the Macondo oil well off the Louisiana coast.