The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 was the largest oil spill in U.S. waters. The announcement by top officials at the Justice, Commerce, Agriculture and Interior departments, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, puts the final touches on the biggest pollution penalty in U.S. history. A consent decree was filed in federal court in New Orleans Monday morning outlining the settlement terms. When the tentative terms of the deal were announced by the Justice Department in July, the company put the total price tag at $18.7 billion, while Justice Department officials said it was $20 billion. Monday’s announcement explained that discrepancy, which was due to the government counting money BP has already paid and because the parameters of some compensation are still being calculated. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday called the settlement “a strong and fitting response to the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.’’ She said […]