NEW ORLEANS – Nearly 6 years after the start of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the official conclusion of the litigation, with Judge Carl Barbier signing the consent decree that details how the $20.8 billion settlement agreement will be spent over the next 15 years to address the environmental issues and economic damages resulting from the BP oil disaster, the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
The following is a statement from Bethany Carl Kraft, Director of Ocean Conservancy’s Gulf Restoration Program:
“Ocean Conservancy applauds the U.S. Department of Justice for their diligence and commitment to reaching resolution with BP. With a final consent decree in place, it is now up to the state and federal agencies tasked with restoration to make good on their commitments to restore the Gulf from Texas to Florida, and from the coast to the offshore.
“The oil disaster wreaked havoc on the economy, communities and environment of the Gulf region; these settlement dollars came at a very dear price. It is our responsibility to invest them wisely on transformative restoration projects that will chart a new future for the Gulf of Mexico.”
