US seeks to keep internal emails from BP in spill case

The Obama administration is seeking to keep an array of internal emails out of BP’s hands in the court battle over the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Energy Department General Counsel Gregory Woods, in a June 6 filing with a Louisiana federal judge, asserts the “deliberative process privilege” to cover 28 documents including exchanges between senior White House, Interior and Energy Department officials.

“[D]isclosure of these documents would chill the open and candid discussion of internal opinions, ideas and strategies concerning the development of policy during situations such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and would hinder DOE’s ability to participate in open discussion of matters of concern with decision makers both internally and with other federal agencies, including [the Executive Office of the President],” states the filing with Judge Carl Barbier of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The emails include exchanges among officials such as Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, White House energy aide Heather Zichal and former top White House energy aide Carol Browner. Bloomberg has much more on the fight over the emails here.