The bulk of the money from BP Plc’s record settlement will go to the five states along the Gulf of Mexico whose shores were blackened in the 2010 oil spill.
From Florida to Texas, the deal will help rebuild communities and restore publicly owned natural resources destroyed by the worst offshore spill in U.S. history. In addition to the coastal damage, thousands of water fowl, sea turtles, wild animals and marine life were killed.
“You break it, you pay for it -– that’s how this is supposed to work,” David Yarnold, president of the National Audubon Society, said in an e-mail. “It’s time to heal the wounds that BP tore in Gulf Coast ecosystems and communities.”
Payments to the states will spread out past 2030. Hover over the map to see how the states’ share of the $18.7 billion will be spent.