Washington (October 5, 2015) – Today, the Department of Justice, along with other federal agencies and the five Gulf of Mexico states, announced a settlement with BP to resolve the civil claims against the company totaling nearly $21 billion. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the BP settlement. Senator Markey was the leading Congressional investigator into the BP oil spill, and the first to post the Spillcam online of the underwater spill.

“Five years ago, the BP spill devastated the Gulf Coast. Lives were lost and livelihoods were ruined. Today’s settlement, the largest with a single company in the Justice Department’s history, is a significant step to restoring the environment and economy of the Gulf of Mexico. Following the worst environmental disaster in American history, with today’s settlement BP finally stands for 'Biggest Penalty'.

“Unfortunately, we have still not done everything that we can or should do to prevent a similar disaster in the future. While the Obama administration has taken the steps that it can within its existing authorities, Congress has still failed to enact a single new significant law to improve the safety of offshore drilling. This settlement must not be the last chapter of responding to this spill. Congress must still act, and I will continue to fight in the Senate to ensure that BP will stand for best protections for our environment and workers in offshore drilling.”