British oil company BP is finally settling up with the federal government and five states affected by the devastating oil spill that hit the Gulf Coast when BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in 2010. The company has tentatively agreed to pay $18.7 billion in damages over 18 years, The New York Times reports.

Lots and lots of stuff of note happened in 2010 and the 12 most important things were immortalized by Jimmy Fallon last night. It was all set to the tune of "12 Days of Christmas." The last verse inside.

A new Gallup survey shows that depression rose 25 percent since the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April. Proof that losing your livelihood + watching your environment be destroyed + utter sense of helplessness = major case of the blues.

Alabama's WKRG wanted to investigate how much oil was in the water at the state's beaches so they collected samples. When a chemist tried to study it, the water exploded! Isn't this how an environmental horror movie usually starts?

BP reports there is currently no more oil leaking into the Gulf. About damn time!

BP executives had a press conference yesterday with their celebrity savior Kevin Costner to heap praise on his miraculous oil-cleaning machine. Too bad the device hasn't even been put in the water yet. Remember about chickens and hatching, BP.

Scientists are studying the carcass of a 25-foot "sub-adult" sperm whale found in the Gulf of Mexico to see if it's oil spill-related. We all knew local wildlife would be devastated, but who knew it would all happen so fast?

[Florida Governor Charlie Crist simultaneously dispels those gay rumors and shows the media the state hasn't been affected by the BP oil spill at a press conference on the beach in Miami today. Image via Getty]

These days we use celebrities for everything, so why not get one to clean up one of our greatest natural disasters? Kevin Costner's gizmo that separates oil from water might be just what BP needs to save Louisiana's shores.

Michael Bloomberg says we shouldn't rush to judgment and blame BP for the oil spill.

The Daily Show last night took no time running down the list of even more transgressions brought to us from British Petroleum. Prepare for seething anger.

[Kevin Costner testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology today. He talked about his Ocean Therapy Solutions water purifiers could possibly clean up the BP oil spill. Really. Image via Getty]

There's another leak in the Gulf of Mexico. And it's supposedly been going on since April. It's unrelated to the BP spill; it's coming from another rig off the coast of Louisiana. But a 10 mile-long slick is now visible.