Senate E&PW Committee Approves Gulf Oil Spill $$$ to Gulf

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would direct billions of dollars in fines from last year’s oil spill to Gulf Coast states to help restore the region.  The legislation mandates that 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties eventually imposed on BP or other companies deemed responsible for the spill go to five Gulf states.

BP and the other companies deemed responsible for the spill face billions of dollars in penalties. If BP is deemed negligent under the Clean Water Act by the courts, the company will have to pay $1,000 for every barrel of oil spilled into the Gulf. If the courts find that BP was grossly negligent, the company will have to pay $4,200 per barrel.

Last year's spill spewed about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, meaning BP could face fines ranging from $5.4 billion to $21.1 billion. (The Hill, 9/21/2011)