Yoda: I apologize for the way this will sound. But does this mean that you think the way that the Exxon Valdez situation was handled was proper? That is, Exxon fought the court award tooth and nail all the way through the courts and got it reduced to 10% of it's original value. It took YEARS for people to see so much as a penny.

Say what you will about BP and negligence or whatever.. But I know this about myself. If I screw up, I admit it when I realize it and try to make amends. I'm not perfect, nobody is. But I don't sit on my ass screaming "innocent" until "proven" guilty - not if I know I did something wrong. BP, at least in this measure, for whatever reasons, is saying "we screwed up" and aren't forcing shrimp boaters to go 5 or more years dragging things through the courts making nobody but lawyers more wealthy before letting them see a dime.

I don't give a sick dingo's kidney if BP feels 'forced' to do it because they have the legal right to fight it IF THEY SO CHOOSE. They chose not to. Again, for whatever reasons, they're doing the right thing. Some people thought they would declare bankruptcy to avoid paying for this - which would have been difficult since no judge would accept it given they have $3T (yes, trillion) in sales and $30B in profits per year.