BP’s (LON: BP) oil spill drama continues. Talks over a settlement between BP and the U.S. government have hit a standstill as the government insists BP must pay at least $18 billion.
The British newspaper, the Sunday Times, remarked that if BP is found grossly negligent under the Clean Water Act, then the company would have to cough up between $18 to $21 billion.
BP, of course, has achieved notoriety for having consistently denied any liability in what has become the U.S.’s worst offshore environmental disaster.
BP’s board is undecided over whether it will indeed pay $18 billion or continue pushing for a settlement at $15 billion, Reuters reported. Either way, it’ll be better than the reported $25 billion that some reports back in July suggested the U.S. was seeking. A final outcome may not occur until next year.
BP closed down 0.12 percent to 438.04 pence sterling in London on Tuesday after falling to 433.65 early in the day.
