BP · Deepwater Horizon

Allegations & issues

Governments brought civil claims concerning water pollution, natural-resource damage and economic losses following the 2010 spill.

Key rulings & findings

The entry records approval of the civil consent decree, without characterising every earlier finding.

Admissions

No admission is inferred from the settlement.

Disposition

Consent decree entered on 4 April 2016.

Penalties, damages & redress

DOJ valued the combined government civil settlement at $20.8 billion, including penalties, restoration and other claims.

Restrictions & obligations

Restoration and payment obligations are governed by the consent decree.

What the government civil settlement covered

The resolution addressed the United States’ and Gulf governments’ civil claims arising from the April 2010 Macondo blowout and spill. It brought together Clean Water Act penalties, natural-resource damages and governmental economic-loss claims, rather than resolving every private or criminal proceeding arising from the disaster. [1; 2]

The announced $20.8 billion total therefore combined different legal categories. Calling the entire sum a fine would obscure the substantial restoration and compensation components. The agreement was announced in October 2015 and received final court approval in April 2016. [1; 2]

Restoration funding and the recorded outcome

Natural-resource recoveries were linked to a programme for restoring the Gulf environment, while economic-loss amounts addressed governmental claims. The settlement provided a framework and funding commitments for that work; it did not establish that ecological restoration was already complete when judgment was entered. [2]

This entry records the government civil resolution and its approval. Separate private compensation, criminal resolutions and other liabilities should be identified independently rather than added to or inferred from this figure. The linked government announcements explain the scope of the settlement being summarised. [1; 2]

THE UNDERLYING RECORD

Primary sources

Read the full documents for their precise wording and context. Regulator summaries are identified separately from court records.