Gulf Coast oil spill could eclipse Exxon Valdez (AP)

By Kate Sheppard BP has been getting a plenty of flak in the past week as it became clear that the company has been low-balling the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. But here's what's missing from that conversation: the now-disputed 5,000-barrel-per-day figure came from the federal government, not BP.

(NEW ORLEANS) — Oil giant BP has agreed to pay a criminal penalty in the billions of dollars for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a person familiar with the deal said Thursday. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record about the deal, also said two BP PLC employees face manslaughter charges over the death of 11 people in the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that triggered the massive spill.

Bob van der Valk submits: Louisiana is currently bracing itself for the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to hit their shores with devastating consequences. This calamity brings back the experiences and lessons learned from previous oil spill disasters like the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and the 1969 Santa Barbara channel oil spill.

Brian Rezny submits: The BP (BP) oil spill has surpassed that of the Exxon Valdez, making it the worst oil spill in US history. At least 22 million gallons of oil have been leaked (the Exxon Valdez spilled 10.8 million gallons). The damage is far reaching – 140 miles of shoreline along Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and 80 miles along Florida’s coast have been blanketed by the spill, according to the Coast Guard.