US finalizes settlement over BP oil spill

The US Justice Department and five states have finalized a settlement of more than US$20 billion over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The deal announced Monday resolves all civil claims against oil company BP, British Petroleum.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the settlement at a Justice Department news conference.

"Today, I am pleased to announce that we have secured a historic resolution of our pending claims against BP, totaling more than 20 billion dollars, making the largest settlement with a single entity in American history."

The settlement finalizes an agreement that was first announced in July.

On April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon drill platform caught fire and exploded, killing 11 workers and triggering one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
 CRI - china.org.cn
 6/10/15
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