BP PLC (BP) has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency is abusing its discretion by continuing to bar the company from new government contracts following guilty pleas related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

In a filing Monday in federal court in Houston, BP says it has lost out on billions of dollars of potential contracts, such as supplying fuel to the U.S. military, because the EPA refuses to lift the prohibition on new contracts first put in place in November 2012. That was when BP said it would pay $4.5 billion in fines and plead guilty to criminal charges including obstruction of justice, involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act.

At the time, BP said it believed the suspension would be brief and that it was working with the EPA on an agreement that would effectively end the suspension. But according to the court filing, which was first reported by the Houston Chronicle, the EPA refused to lift the ban even after the company entered its formal pleas and the criminal case was closed.

The company is asking the court to rule the EPA suspension is illegal and to end it immediately.

BP spokesman Geoff Morrell said the EPA's action is inappropriate but that the company remains open to a reasonable settlement with the EPA.

The EPA referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The government and BP continue to joust in Federal District Court in New Orleans over civil liability under the Clean Water Act.
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