Ellington

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has postponed the trial of a former BP executive charged with concealing information from Congress about the amount of oil that was spewing from the company's blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt agreed Wednesday to give David Rainey's attorneys more time to prepare for the trial that was scheduled to start on Oct. 14. His new trial date is March 10, 2014.

In May, Engelhardt dismissed an obstruction charge that was the backbone of the case against Rainey, who was BP's vice president of exploration for the Gulf.

But federal prosecutors secured a new indictment against Rainey last month that contains language addressing the judge's reasons for dismissing the charge.