Rio de Janeiro
Chevron fined for oil spill: Brazil said this week that it was fining U.S. oil company Chevron $28 million, the maximum allowed under Brazilian law, for causing an oil spill in waters off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Chevron has admitted responsibility for the Nov. 7 leak, saying that it underestimated the pressure of underwater deposits it was drilling 230 miles offshore, but said it successfully plugged the leak within four days. According to Brazilian officials, at its height the leak was releasing between 200 and 330 barrels a day, far less than the 2010 BP spill off the coast of Louisiana. The resulting spill is currently shrinking and moving away from the coastline.
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