BP plc has filed a motion seeking to cut the civil liabilities it faces according to the Clean Water Act (CWA) related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico that claimed 11 lives and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. BP is contesting the report issued by the Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) on August 2, 2010 that estimated 4.9 million barrels oil had escaped the reservoir into the environment. BP does not dispute the large amount of oil that was discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, but it does not want to be liable for the 810,000 barrels of oil that it recovered after the spill.

This estimate of oil collected back has already been acknowledged by the U.S. government. Under the CWA, penalties can reach a maximum of $4,300 per barrel and are assessed only on oil that has actually entered the environment and caused harm. The total penalties will reach a maximum of $21 billion, based on the U.S. government's estimate that 4.9 million barrels leaked.

However, BP is seeking a $3.48 billion reduction in penalties based on the credit it should receive for collecting back 810,000 barrels of oil.