BP Settlement Money Flows To Governments In Far-Flung Places

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Clusters of municipalities more than 100 miles from the Gulf Coast have secured millions of dollars in BP money through settlements designed to compensate local governments for economic damage after the company's 2010 oil spill.

This week, BP finished making approximately $687 million in settlement payments to 383 local government entities in the five Gulf states. Records obtained by The Associated Press show that nearly $8 million went to 32 local government entities more than 100 miles from the coastline.

The recipients include Ruleville, a Mississippi Delta city located nearly 300 miles from the coast. Birmingham, Alabama — more than 200 miles from the coast — received $1 million.

The local government settlements are part of the company's broader $18.7 billion settlement agreement with the state and federal governments.

KPEL Editor' Note: Large swaths of Acadiana are indeed comprised of coastal neighborhoods that were affected by the BP Oil Spill. Though the AP article above depicts municipalities that are located great distances from the coast, KPEL has included a list of Acadiana government entities that have been listed to receive compensation from BP. We have included these figures to simply identify compensation awarded in our area from the $18.7 billion settlement total.