U.S. to give BP evidence on size of Gulf oil spill
ttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/04/12/uk-bp-oilspill-idUKBRE83A1FX20120412
(Reuters) - BP Plc will gain access to U.S. government documents that may shed light on the size of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a crucial issue in determining the oil company's liability.
According to a Wednesday court filing, the government agreed to produce the documents after BP had accused it two weeks ago of unfairly withholding them because they were privileged.
BP has said the documents may show that an August 2010 estimate of 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled, of which about 800,000 barrels were cleaned up, is too high.
A reduction would lower the maximum civil fine BP could pay under the U.S. Clean Water Act, now estimated as high as $17.6 billion (11 billion pounds). That law calls for a maximum fine of $1,100 per barrel of oil spilled, or $4,300 if there were gross negligence.
