The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that British Petroleum also known as Beyond Petroleum has been temporarily suspended from making new contracts with the U.S government.

These restrictions come as a result of the company's response during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster which caused 11 deaths. EPA has authority to place BP under suspension based on sections of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

"The BP suspension will temporarily prevent the company and the named affiliates from getting new federal government contracts, grants or other covered transactions until the company can provide sufficient evidence to EPA demonstrating that it meets federal business standards," said the EPA in a statement.

The temporary ban is not likely to affect BP's current agreements with the government.

BBC news reported that the company has, however, been excluded from the lease of new exploration fields in the Gulf of Mexico, 20 million acres which were auctioned on Wednesday, November 28.

"BP has been in regular dialogue with the EPA and has already provided both a present responsibility statement of more than 100 pages and supplemental answers to the EPA's questions based on that submission," BP stated in a press release on their website. "Moreover, in support of BP's efforts to establish present responsibility, the US Department of Justice agreed, in the plea agreement, that it will advise any appropriate suspension or debarment authority that in the Department's view, BP has accepted criminal responsibility for its conduct relating to the Deepwater Horizon blowout, explosion, oil spill and response."

According to CNNMoney.com, BP pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges and agreed to pay $4.5 billion in government penalties on November 15. A former executive was also charged with lying to authorities.

BP has been cooperating with the government since the 2010 disaster through reforms in management and internal safety among other changes.