Robert Bentley announces $20 million Transocean settlement

Thursday Alabama Governor Robert Bentley announced the state has agreed to a $20 million settlement with Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling, Inc., the company that owned the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

“The State of Alabama suffered tremendous environmental and economic losses because of the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010,” Governor Bentley said. “I appreciate the entire Alabama team for working to ensure Alabama is fairly compensated. This agreement with Transocean is another positive step forward as we continue to recover from the effects of such a significant environmental and economic disaster.”

The Deepwater Horizon rig explosion on April 20, 2010, which was being used by BP was one the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history. It killed 11 workers and spewed millions of barrels of oil onto the shorelines of many Gulf states, including Alabama for nearly three months. The result? Significant environmental and economic damages across the affected Gulf states.

“I’m pleased to announce that Transocean has paid $20 million into the State’s General Fund to settle the State’s remaining claims against the company for its role in the disastrous 2010 Gulf oil spill,” said Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange.  “Alabama’s recovery is due to the hard work of my staff in pursuing our case against Transocean, while they simultaneously litigated the State’s case against BP.”

Attorney General Strange was the court-appointed coordinating counsel for all five Gulf States in the litigation against BP and its co-Defendants for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

On October 5, 2015, Strange announced a final settlement of Alabama’s damages claims with BP that directed $950 million to the State’s General Fund and approximately $1 billion to Alabama’s coastal counties for economic and environmental restoration. Alabama’s settlement with Transocean resolves all claims against the rig operator that were not encompassed by the global settlement with BP.