Federal judge Carl Barbier has ruled that Andarko, a minority owner of the Macondo oil well must pay $159.5 million in Clean Water Act fines.

Prosecutors wanted significantly more than $1 billion but significantly less than the maximum $3.5 billion. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. of Houston has said it may appeal.

Anadarko owned 25 %of the Macondo well, but had no say in its operations.

Operator and majority owner BP PLC settled environmental damage claims this year for $20 billion.

The Macondo well exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and spewing 130 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.