U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today fired off a letter to Patrick Juneau, the court-appointed administrator of the BP oil spill claims fund, calling him to expedite the review of tens of thousands of claims that are still outstanding nearly six years after the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
“Over the past year alone, I received multiple complaints from business owners who could not even get someone to confirm that their claim was received, or give an estimate of when their case would be resolved,†Nelson wrote in a letter to Patrick Juneau, administrator of the Deepwater Horizon Claims Center. “People have closed up shop, packed up their families, and left the state because there was no end in sight for their businesses to recoup lost revenue. … I urge you to fulfill your obligation to Gulf Coast residents by resolving all claims as expeditiously and fairly as possible.â€
The claims process was set up in 2010 to settle individual claims for damages after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The claims center stopped accepting claims last June after receiving more than 383,000 claims, including more than 104,000 from people in Florida. Of the nearly 400,000 claims received, approximately 95,000 have been denied and more than 50,000 are still awaiting a decision.
Following is the text of Nelson’s letter to Administrator Juneau:
March 8, 2016
Patrick Juneau
Claims Administrator
Deepwater Horizon Economic Claims Center
P.O. Box 10272
Dublin, OH 43017-5772Dear Mr. Juneau,
I write to express my increasing frustration with the persistent delays Floridians encounter when seeking resolution to their Deepwater Horizon economic damage claims.
Nearly six years after the spill, many individuals are still waiting for an answer about if or when they’ll receive any compensation. Meantime, BP executives continue to tout the transparent process and their company’s desire to make things right.
Gulf Coast communities deserve better. After all, these are the individuals and business owners who bore the economic hardship caused by the Deepwater Horizon spill. They lost an entire tourism season because people believed tar covered the entire coastline of Florida.
Floridians are fed up with years of delay tactics, evasive answers, and total silence from the claims process. Over the past year alone, I received multiple complaints from business owners who could not even get someone to confirm that their claim was received, or give an estimate of when their case would be resolved.
People have closed up shop, packed up their families, and left the state because there was no end in sight for their businesses to recoup lost revenue.
As the Administrator of the Deepwater Horizon Claims Center, you are responsible for settling these petitions and ensuring a fair outcome for the victims of the BP spill. I urge you to fulfill your obligation to Gulf Coast residents by resolving all claims as expeditiously and fairly as possible.
Sincerely,
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