BP pays back $73 million to the federal government

BP paid back the federal government nearly $73 million for costs associated with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The $72.7 million is the full amount requested by the Coast Guard and federal and state agencies in what is expected to be a series of bills, the Washington Post reported Wednesday morning. 

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on federal financial management is expected to release documents related to the payments at a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

The Coast Guard sent a bill to BP, Transocean, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and MOEX Offshore —  the four owners of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig — on May 27 for $1.8 million. The companies were sent another bill for $69 million on June 2. 

BP paid the first bill on June 1 and the second on June 11, according to wire transfers obtained by the subcommittee. 

All the money received by the federal government goes back into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is being used to pay for costs of the cleanup and containment. The trust fund has about $1.7 billion to cover costs of the spill, which are expected to be much higher. 

BP reported spending more than $1.6 billion so far on containment, cleanup and the costs of drilling two relief wells, as well as paying back individuals and business along the Gulf coast. 

The Coast Guard invoice shows $1.1 million in personnel costs and $692,200 in equipment costs on the May 27 bill, according to the documents. The June 2 bill shows 61 charges from federal and state agencies in Alabama and Louisiana and the National Guard. 

The Environmental Protection Agency billed BP for 9.6 million, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has requested $6.8 million and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed $5.3 million in costs.