BP still has to pay the government for that little slip-up that
happened last year. The Clean Water Act imposes punitive damages
for any act of pollution carried out in US waters, with fines
proportional to the magnitude of the environmental impact. For
oil spills, damages are calculated according to the amount of
hydrocarbons leaked into the water column. The Macondo well
hemorrhaged oil for 89 days. That’s a whole lotta fine dollaz.
Damages look set to total between $5.4 and $21 billion dollars,
depending government’s final estimate of oil spilled. But
Congress has to decide how that money gets spent – and
thankfully, the House and Senate are trying to move quickly to
pass the bill. The fine money is tentatively set to be divided
amongst five areas: - 35 percent would be divided equally among
the five Gulf states for economic and ecological recovery
activities along the coast. - 30 percent would be dedicated to
the development and implementation of a comprehensive
restoration plan. A new Gulf Coast Restorat