Article+Annotation+One

Robert Schneider Kim Fortun Oil Politics BP Spill Annotation One

An article with the headline “Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” centralizes around the reasons as to why the claims made as a result of the BP spill have taken so long to be reviewed, as well as why people whose claims have been reviewed had to wait so long (or are still waiting) to receive money. Although this article was published without a given author, it was put onto the New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) website. This site, as its motto declares, covers news that is “everything New Orleans” ranging from Mardi Gras to Hurricane Katrina.

The main topic of this article is presented in a multitude of ways, one of which discusses how many of the claims being applied for are either false or lack proper documentation. In one case a boat owner filed a claim for lost pay for himself and his four crew members, yet it was discovered that he in fact had no other crew members. Ridiculous claims, such as one person requested the entire BP fund ($20 Billion), were also made (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” 2011, pg. 2). As if time consumption was not problematic enough, corruption within the fund organization has also raised some eyebrows. The man in charge of the fund, Kenneth Feinberg, has refused to provide the public with payout information, thus making it difficult to confirm whether or not BP is doing the job honestly and providing people with fair compensation (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fired,” 2011, pg. 2, 3). A third problem seen is that anyone who accepts “emergency payments” through the BP fund must sign away their right, as well as their relative’s right, to sue BP at a later date. Since lawsuits could result in larger payment outcomes, this simple idea ensures that BP will lose as little money as possible (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” 2011, pg. 3).

A few quotes throughout the reading help to capture the most important points being made. A Louisiana Republican Representative, Steve Scalise, stated “A lot of promises were made by Feinberg and President Obama that this would be a very open process, and I just don’t feel that’s the case,” pointing out the corruption within the fund managing (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” 2011, pg. 1). “According to Feinberg, claims were rejected because they were ineligible, lacked documentation or were fraudulent” (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” 2011, pg. 3). Though a rather plain sentence, this statement is a strong point in the article because it provides the basic information as to why some people were not receiving the claims that they had asked for. A local shrimper believes that “They’re [the BP funding organization] just trying to stall us, hold us off until our bills pile up and we have to accept anything” (“Gulf oil spill claims process under fire,” 2011, pg. 4). This technique would in fact save BP yet even more money because as time progresses the company could offer a lesser compensation and people will be so desperate that they will not have the extra time to fight for more and will ultimately settle.

This particular argument, and the evidence that accompany it, is ideal for my research because I am looking into the laws and lawsuits of the recovery process and this literature provides direct explanations as to why the legal processing was taking longer than many felt it should have. While some reasons seem to be unjust and even reaching illegal, they are important reasons nonetheless and therefore should be looked into.

Other members in my group may be more interested in some of these quick references: • “Tens of thousands of fisherman, oyster shuckers, business owners, hotel operators, and hairdressers still await payment.” (economy and tourism) • Hairdressers believe the reason they have no customers is because, as a result of monetary losses from the spill, no one can afford it anymore. (economy)

“Gulf oil spill claims process under fired.” __The Associated Press__. __NOLA.com__. 15 Feb. 2011. < [|http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/02/gulf_oil_spill_claims_process.] [| html] >.