Overview of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest marine oil spill in history. Resulting from the April 20, 2010 explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, the spill leaked millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf.

Because of the spill’s detrimental impacts on the Gulf Coast region, BP agreed to pay $5.9 billion for economic damage claims and $5.5 billion for Clean Water Act (CWA) water pollution violations.

Economic Damage Claims

The five Gulf states (Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida) and local governments have received $5.9 billion in economic claims from an April 5, 2016 court-approved settlement. These claims included $7.1 million for Pinellas County to spend on projects of our choosing.

Learn more about our approved projects and the guiding principles we used to select them.

CWA and RESTORE Penalties

The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act of 2012 specifies that penalty dollars resulting from CWA violations must be spent on programs, projects, and activities that restore and protect the environment and economy of the Gulf Coast region. 

The RESTORE Act allocates 80% of the CWA penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, which will be split among five different components:

• 35% to the Direct Component to be split equally among the five Gulf Coast States. 
  
  For Florida’s allocation:
  • 75% will go to the eight disproportionately affected counties along the Panhandle, from Escambia to Wakulla counties.
  • 25% will go to the 15 non-disproportionately affected Gulf coast counties, from Jefferson to Monroe counties.
    • Pinellas County will receive 2.75% of the total amount of trust funds coming to Florida. This is estimated at about $10 million to be distributed over a 15-year period, ending in 2032.
      
      View the RESTORE Act for more information on how we’re proceeding with this funding.

• 30% to the Council–Selected Restoration Component for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to develop and implement their comprehensive plan to restore the ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast region. These funds are applicable to all five states.

• 30% to the Spill Impact Component divided among the five Gulf Coast States. In Florida, the Gulf Consortium is developing a State Expenditure Plan.

• 2.5% for the Research, Observation, and Monitoring Component for expenditures among all five states by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Gulf Restoration Science Program.

• 2.5% for the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Component to establish a Center of Excellence for each of the five states.  For Florida, one-fifth of the allocation (0.5%) is for the Florida Institute of Oceanography to administer competitive grants.

Frequently Asked Questions

For answers to common questions about the aftermath of the oil spill, including cleanup efforts, wildlife impacts and food safety, view the Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions About the Deepwater Oil Spill by the Gulf of
Mexico Research Initiative and Sea Grant programs.