Three and a half years after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig dumped 205 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, leaving 11 workers dead and damaging hundreds of miles of shoreline, the Gulf Coast is still recovering. And BP, the oil company behind the spill, is no longer willing to foot the bill for the cleanup or to compensate those whose lives were affected.

The company has spent or earmarked $42.4 billion so far for cleanup, compensation payments and environmental fines. Its profits have suffered, and it has sold $38 billion in assets to help cover the cost. For a while, the company made a show of doing its part regardless of the price tag. But now, its chief executive has decided its time to change tack.

A tougher strategy

‘As we continue to fight what I think are absurd outcomes, we want everyone to know that we are digging in and are well-prepared for the long haul on legal matters,