"The company is also cooperating with the various government agencies looking into this important matter," Douglas Curtis, an attorney representing the company, wrote in an August 24 letter to US Representative Ed Markey, Democrat-Massachusetts, chairman of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
The most recent estimates of the government's Flow Rate Technical Group were that 53,000 b/d was spilling from the well immediately before it was capped in July, and that 62,000 b/d were leaking after the blowout occurred on April 20.
An estimated 4.9 million barrels flowed from the well over the course of 87 days.
"I continue to urge BP to accept these numbers in order to move on to the vital task of Gulf restoration, instead of endless litigation," Markey said in a statement Wednesday.
Under current law, BP will be assessed fines for each barrel of oil spilled, ranging from a minimum of $1,100 per barrel to $4,300. The amount of oil spilled will also be used in assessing the extent of natural resource damages, Markey said.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1403616.html
