"A federal judge in New Orleans ruled Thursday that 3.19 million barrels of oil were spilled during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. The ruling means BP now faces up to $13.7 billion in pollution fines for the spill, well below the amount federal prosecutors want the company to pay.

U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier acknowledged in his ruling "there is no way to know with precision" how much oil flowed into the Gulf during the disaster.

Barbier decided on the 3.19 million barrel amount after reviewing evidence presented in October 2013 in the civil trial over the disastrous spill."

Jennifer Larino reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune January 15, 2015. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Judge’s Ruling on Gulf Oil Spill Lowers Ceiling on the Fine BP Is Facing" (New York Times) [3]