I couldn’t have said it better than this comment left on nola.com:
The Oil Pollution Act enacted by the the US Congress after the Exxon Valdez oil spill determined that “regional economies” ARE affected by oil spills and as such any business within those areas are eligible to file for compensation. The issue of the majority of the claims that BP is disputing related to “causal nexus”…or finding a direct relationship between BP’s actions and the losses that business suffered. The location, type of business activities and detailed financial records of up to 5 years are required for a claim to succeed. These details are then put through a specific analytic set of calculations that BP itself suggested and signed off on. BP admitted in more than 40 documents and additional testimony in open court in July 2013 that they agreed to these “objective” methods to determine if a business was affected by the oil spill and specified that these methodologies would constitute the causation testing for all business claimants. These tests are thorough and are increasingly demanding as one moves through the claims process toward payment or denial. Also be aware that the accountants who vet these claims and apply these rigorous tests and analysis are HAND PICKED firms chosen by BP itself! BP is simply playing the game of trying to get American to turn on their neighbors and create fear or anger about supposed fraud that doesn’t in the end exist, all in an attempt keep legitimate claims from being filed or paid. It is simply a corporate numbers game, decreasing their final costs a % point at a time with each with each angry rise they get out of all you out there in America’s heartland. Shame on us for falling for this and not thinking their arguments through. BP is not telling the truth.
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