Obama Wants To Use BP Oil Spill Fines To Restore Gulf Coast

Posted in Alabama Maritime News,BP British Petroleum,Deepwater Horizon,Environment,Florida Maritime News,Government,Gulf Coast,Maritime Lawsuits,Mississippi Maritime News,Texas Maritime News,World Maritime News on September 29, 2010

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Obama administration and BP are in talks to reach an agreement about a possible settlement over fines for the devastating Gulf oil spill that was caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20, 2010.

According to an article at The Huffington Post, Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise told The Associated Press on Tuesday that members of his staff got information about the talks while working on oil spill-related legislation he is proposing.

Scalise says the goal of the talks between BP and the government is to reach a deal instead of having to fight it out in court.

He says the two sides appear to be at odds over whether BP should be considered grossly negligent for the spill, a finding that could mean higher fines.

There was no immediate comment from BP or the Justice Department.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that occurred on April 20, 2010, killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP’s undersea well.