Restoration and Recovery Funds to Date
On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion caused eleven deaths and spilled millions of barrels of oil into the gulf. Significant environmental and economic damage followed as oil flowed from the sea-floor for 87 days. Both criminal and civil penalties were assessed in response to the accident and billions of dollars in settlements will be paid. Responsible parties are British Petroleum (BP), Transocean, MOEX, Halliburton, and Anadarko. Below you will find more detailed information on the particular settlements and voluntary programs between parties involved with the spill. Click on the dollar amounts in the table below to view the information sources.
| Responsible Party | Criminal Settlements and Penalties | Civil Settlements and Penalties | Voluntary Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BP |
$2.394b to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (11–15–2012)
|
$1b for Early Natural Resource Damage Assessment to Gulf states and Federal government for beginning restoration (4–11–2011) | $500m to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance for the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (3–14–2011) |
| $350m to National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program (11–15–2012) | $105m to Gulf Region Health Outreach Program (5–2–2012) | At least $18.2m to the Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife (2010) | |
| $100m for Migratory Bird Treaty Act Violations to North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (11–15–2012) | $1b for economic claims to Local governments (7-27-2015) | ||
| $7.8b for Natural Resource Damage Assessment to Gulf states, Federal Government, and Local governments for restoration (4–4–2016) | |||
| $5.5b for Clean Water Penalties 80% to Gulf region, 20% to Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (4–4–2016) | |||
| $4.9b for economic claims to Gulf states (4–4–2016) | |||
| $600m for False Claims Act, royalties, reimbursement of assessment costs, other costs (4–4–2016) | |||
| Transocean | $150m to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (1–3–2013) | $1b for Clean Water Act Penalties, 80% to Gulf region, 20% to Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (1–3–2013) | |
| $150m to National Academy of Sciences Gulf Restoration Program (1–3–2013) | |||
| MOEX | $70m for Clean Water Act Penalties to Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and Gulf States (pre-dates RESTORE Act) (2–17–2012) | ||
| $20m collectively to Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (2–17–2012) | |||
| Anadarko | $159.5m for Clean Water Act Penalties 80% to Gulf region, 20% to Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (11–30–2015) | ||
| Halliburton | $55m to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (7–25–2013) |
See the Environmental Law Institute’s white paper for more details.
For official trustee information regarding the Deepwater Horizon NRDA, including information regarding the Early Restoration process and status of Early Restoration projects, see www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.