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Motion to Lift Stay in Arkansas Oil Spill Suit Gets Approval

A judge has granted federal prosecutors' request to end a delay in a lawsuit over the ExxonMobil oil spill in central Arkansas. U.S. District Judge James Moody on Monday granted prosecutors' request to lift a stay in the case.

Moody granted their request to delay proceedings earlier this month because of the partial government shutdown.

Prosecutors said in previous court filings that most attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were unable to work on the case, even on a voluntary basis, because of the lapse in federal funding.

The lawsuit filed jointly by federal prosecutors and Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel seeks civil penalties for the oil spill in Mayflower. Exxon's Pegasus pipeline ruptured in March, spilling thousands of barrels of oil.

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