N.Y.-based transporter settles oil-spill case

BOSTON – An oil transporter and its affiliates agreed last week to pay a portion of federal and state damages claims for an oil spill that affected parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts coastlines, The Associated Press reported.
Melville, N.Y.-based Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. agreed to pay more than $6 million in a settlement, which is subject to court approval.
According to the AP, on April 27, 2003, a Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. barge struck a rocky ledge at the mouth of Buzzards Bay and spilled 98,000 gallons of oil. It polluted about 100 miles of the New England coastline, killing hundreds of birds and closing about 100,000 acres of shellfish beds.
The AP said Bouchard will pay an additional $1.6 million that federal and state governments used to assess environmental damage caused by the spill.
In 2004, the company agreed to pay a $10 million fine stemming from the spill. &#8226