"BP Shuts Down Internal Oil Spill Claims Program"

"HARVEY -- In a shocking move, BP has decided to shut down its internal oil spill claims program, taking away an avenue for more than 10,000 claimants who have opted out of the oil giant’s controversial settlement agreement or others who are not covered by it.

BP won’t say how many claimants it served with the BP Claims Program over the last two years, but the amount paid through the end of April was a paltry $12 million. By contrast, over the exact same time frame, the court-supervised settlement program paid $3.8 billion.

With all the fighting over that settlement program and BP’s high-profile effort to undo the way it pays business claims, it's been easy to forget about the other claimants -- those relegated to BP’s internal program as the only alternative to an interminable wait for a court date."

David Hammer reports for Gannett June 24, 2014.