Shell to pay $83 million to Nigerian fishing community devastated in 2008 oil spills — salon.com

In what’s ”thought to be one of the largest payouts to an entire community following environmental damage,” per the claimants’ lawyers, oil giant Shell agreed Wednesday to pay out $83 million in compensation to the Nigerian fishing community devastated by two major oil spills in 2008. That’s a considerable step up from the company’s initial offer of $6,000 for the entire community, and it comes at the end of a fierce, three-year legal battle over the spills, which harmed thousands of hectares of mangrove. The settlement allots $53.1 million to the 15,6000 fishermen and farmers whose livelihood was affected — $3,300 each — and $30.4 to the larger Bodo fishing community.

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