A trial involving billions of dollars in damages related to BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been delayed until January, despite a push from the federal government to begin the trial this summer. The delay means states devastated by the oil spill may need to wait longer for compensation from BP and other companies involved in the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig that sent nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf. BP had pressed for the trial’s delay while it resolves a $7.8 billion settlement with victims of the historic disaster.