On Thursday BP checked its mail and got a love letter from its not-so-secret admirer, the Center for Biological Diversity, notifying the spill-a-riffic British oil giant that it would be sued under the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. government launched a criminal probe into BP’s responsibility for the environment-ruining spill earlier in the week, but the CBD is jumping in to put the heat on BP.

From the CBD’s press release:

“BP has shown that it lacks the capability to stop this massive leak, and the federal government is waiting and watching” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Clean Water Act provides for citizen enforcement when the polluter and government fail to act, and we intend to seek the maximum penalty possible against BP.”

“The oil spill clearly violates numerous laws, but government enforcement is lacking. This continues the government’s tradition of lax oversight when it comes to the oil industry,” added Sakashita. “The government probe is a start, but it has taken far too long to get rolling. The lawsuit announced today aims to drive a vigorous prosecution of BP for its environmental destruction.”

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