U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier approved an estimated $20 billion settlement first announced in July 2015, resolving litigation linked to the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday.
Federal judge OKs $20B settlement from 2010 BP oil spill, resolving years of litigation: https://t.co/dghIlecoAX
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 4, 2016
The settlement includes $5.5 billion in civil Clean Water Act penalties and money to cover environmental damage and other claims by five Gulf states and local governments. The money will be paid over a 16-year period.
In an email statement to Grasswire, BP senior vice president of U.S. Communications and External Affairs Geoff Morrell said that the company was “pleased that the Court has entered the Consent Decree, finalizing the historic statement announced last July.”
Federal judge issues final settlement in 2010 BP oil spill, and it's worth billions https://t.co/YvmXK025TW pic.twitter.com/P8zRADlQGo
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) April 4, 2016
David Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department’s environmental crimes section, said Barbier’s ruling “ends a long sad chapter in American environmental history.”
“The question that remains is whether we have learned enough from this tragedy to prevent similar environmental disasters in the future,” he said.
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[Image: US Coast Guard]
