By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-919000.mp3
New Orleans, La. – Starting next week, claims will go through the Gulf Coast Claims Facility administered by Kenneth Feinberg. He's expected to be in Louisiana today to explain the new process. Government agencies will still file their claims for damages to the oil company. BP says it's paid out $368 million dollars so far. Feinberg is a Washington, D.C., attorney who managed the fund compensating families of victims in the Nine-Eleven attacks. The claims facility has jurisdiction over $20 billion dollars the Obama administration negotiated from BP. Feinberg says people and businesses with claims against BP must re-file with his agency. He says individuals can then expect to be paid within 48 hours. Businesses should be getting checks within a week.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.