"BP Settlement Will Cost $20.8 Billion, Justice Department Says"

"The Justice Department unveiled final details of a record-setting civil settlement with BP over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a deal the department said would ultimately cost the London-based oil giant $20.8 billion.

'The historic civil penalty also sends a clear message of accountability for those who pollute the U.S. environment,' said Adm. Paul Zukunft of the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant.

The highlights of the settlement include $8.1 billion in natural resource damages, including $1 billion BP agreed to pay earlier; $5.5 billion plus interest for Clean Water Act penalties; and $5.9 billion under a separate agreement to cover state and local government claims."

Steven Mufson reports for the Washington Post October 5, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"The BP Oil Spill Settlement: What They're Saying" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"BP Settlement in Gulf Oil Spill Is Raised to $20.8 Billion" (New York Times)