休斯敦讯——路易斯安那州与能源巨头BP已达成里程碑式协议，解决两项长期悬而未决的法律事务，加快向该州支付数亿美元的“深水地平线”赔偿款，并终结长期沿海地带诉讼。
Louisiana and BP agree on $350M settlement of Deepwater Horizon payments, resolve lawsuits HOUSTON — The State of Louisiana and energy giant BP have reached a milestone agreement to resolve two long-standing legal matters, accelerating hundreds of millions of dollars in Deepwater Horizon payments to the state and putting an end to long-running coastal zone litigation.
根据周五由州长杰夫·兰德里、总检察长利兹·默里尔和BP首席执行官梅格·奥尼尔签署的协议条款，BP将把其根据2015年“深水地平线”经济损失和解协议尚需支付的款项，转换为一笔约3.5亿美元的一次性提前支付款。
Under the agreement's terms signed on Friday by Gov. Jeff Landry, AG Liz Murrill and BP CEO Meg O'Neill, BP will convert its remaining payments under the 2015 Deepwater Horizon Economic Damages Settlement into a single early payout of around $350 million.
路易斯安那州原本将在未来七年内分期等额收取总计3.73亿美元，如今则获得即时使用这笔资金的权利。这笔一次性支付款占BP根据2015年和解协议对墨西哥湾沿岸五州剩余总义务的20%以上。
Rather than receiving the originally agreed-upon total of $373 million spread in equal annual installments over the next seven years, Louisiana secures immediate access to the funding. The lump-sum agreement represents more than 20% of BP's remaining total obligations to the five Gulf Coast states from the 2015 settlement.
除了加快资金到位，该协议还解决了所有涉及BP的教区级沿海地带诉讼，为多年的诉讼画上句号。
In addition to accelerating the funds, the pact settles all remaining parish-level coastal zone lawsuits involving BP, bringing the years of litigation to a close.
奥尼尔在关于该协议的声明中表示：“我们永远不会忘记遇难的11名男子，也不会忘记对他们的家庭、社区以及墨西哥湾沿岸环境造成的影响。‘深水地平线’事件是一场永远改变了BP的悲剧，我们吸取的教训至今仍指导着我们的运营方式。”州长杰夫·兰德里将此次解决争议描述为改善该州主要产业合作伙伴法律环境的更广泛努力的一部分。
In a statement on the agreement, O'Neill said, "We will never forget the 11 men who lost their lives, or the impact on their families, communities and the environment across the Gulf Coast. Deepwater Horizon was a tragedy that forever changed bp, and the lessons we learned continue to guide how we operate today." Governor Jeff Landry framed the resolution as part of a broader effort to improve the state's legal climate for major industry partners.
兰德里说：“我们解决了遗留诉讼，这在许多人看来是不可能的。我们现在已经处理了索赔，并与这些沿海案件中除一家之外的所有主要被告达成和解。这向全美的就业创造者发出了一个信号：路易斯安那州欢迎就业和经济增长，同时负责任地处理过去的问题。”
"We have tackled legacy lawsuits, which many said was impossible," Landry said. "We have now disposed of claims and settled with all but one of the major defendants in these coastal cases. This sends a signal to job creators all over America that Louisiana welcomes jobs and economic growth while responsibly dealing with the issues of the past."