BP to offer claimants a One-time Payment

(10AM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

I think “Breaking” is the correct adjacent …

BP offers one-off payouts to stem Gulf oil spill lawsuits

Lump-sum compensation offered in return for waiving the right to sue,

but uncertainty remains for those indirectly affected

Tim Webb, guardian.co.uk — August 1, 2010

BP will begin its legal offensive this month to cap its liabilities from the Gulf of Mexico disaster by offering those affected one-off compensation payouts in return for them waiving the right to sue.

[…]

The fund does not cap BP’s liabilities at $20bn. But privately the company believes that it will not have to pay out anywhere near this sum. BP has hired a battery of lawyers to protect itself, and so far it has paid out $261m in claims.

[…]

According to BP, 1.8m gallons of dispersant have been pumped into the Gulf. Scientists say that the resulting high toxicity levels could harm marine life for years to come.

Hmmm … Seems BP is a bit worried about the long-term effects of that 1.8 Millions of gallons of Corexit, they used — to help make that spill problem disappear?

Perhaps they are worried with good reason … even the maker of Corexit warns it has the potential to BioAccumulate

Bioaccumulation – “Bioaccumulation is defined as the accumulation of chemicals in the tissue of organisms through any route, including respiration, ingestion, or direct contact with contaminated water, sediment, and pore water in the sediment.”

— U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000

In short, Corexit (with all its known and unknown Toxic properties) will likely move up the food chain.

The maker of Corexit, Nalco warns:

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION :

Where concentrations in air may exceed the limits given in this section, the use of a half face filter mask or air supplied breathing apparatus is recommended. A suitable filter material depends on the amount and type of chemicals being handled. Consider the use of filter type: Multi-contaminant cartridge. with a Particulate pre-filter. In event of emergency or planned entry into unknown concentrations a positive pressure, full-facepiece SCBA should be used.

[…]

BIOACCUMULATION POTENTIAL

Component substances have a potential to bioconcentrate.

http://lmrk.org/corexit_9500_u…

Hmmmm …. Face-Masks  … recommended … should be used in “event of emergency” ???

I wonder if BP ACTUALLY read the instructions, before using the Product?  … before equipping their “temp workers” for their “hazardous duty”?

I wonder if BP knows that Dispersants with the active ingredient of 2-butoxyethanol has a “track record” of causing Human Health problems — already?

At What Cost? BP Spill Responders Told to Forgo Precautionary Health Measures in Cleanup

HuffingtonPost: May 17, 2010

by Riki Ott, Marine toxicologist and Exxon Valdez survivor, RikiOtt.com

During the 1989 cleanup in Alaska, thousands of workers had what Exxon medical doctors called, “the Valdez Crud,” and dismissed as simple colds and flu. […]

In 1989 Exxon knew cleanup workers were getting sick: Exxon’s clinical data shows 6,722 cases of upper respiratory “infections”–or more likely work-related chemical induced illnesses. Exxon also knew workers were being overexposed to oil vapors and oil particles as verified through its air-quality monitoring program contracted to Med-Tox. The cleanup workers never saw results of this program. Neither did OSHA, the agency supposedly charged to oversee and independently monitor Exxon’s worker-safety program.

[…]

Fishermen have never seen the results from the air-quality monitoring patches some of them wear on their rain gear when they are out booming and skimming the giant oil slick. However, more and more fishermen are suffering from bad headaches, burning eyes, persistent coughs, sore throats, stuffy sinuses, nausea, and dizziness. They are starting to suspect that BP is not telling them the truth.

And based on air monitoring conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a Louisiana coastal community, those workers seem to be correct. The EPA findings show that airborne levels of toxic chemicals like hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compounds like benzene, for instance, now far exceed safety standards for human exposure.

The individual stories of Exxon Valdez Cleanup Workers are heart breaking, and not very well known. But they should be included in the brand NEW EPA Toxicity studies — don’t you think?

“I was in the doctor’s office continually,” Merle Savage says. “She always heard my stomach rolling and one day she said ‘Have you eaten anything toxic or had any contaminated water?’ I said no, never thinking it was the crude oil.” Savage went on to develop a frightening list of symptoms: cirrhosis of the liver (she doesn’t drink), rheumatoid arthritis, constant diarrhea, and respiratory problems.

[…]

“Had I known the truth, I wouldn’t have gone to clean up the spill,” she says. “I am living and breathing now, but it’s not by the grace of Exxon.”

The Gulf Coast economy, and its people, and ecosystems, MAY recover someday — but “it won’t be by the grace of BP” either.

BP has hire a “hired a battery of lawyers to protect itself” from all the pesky claims of those ‘local yocals’, and the eco-whirlwind they’ve inherited …

BP offers one-off payouts to stem Gulf oil spill lawsuits

Tim Webb, guardian.co.uk — August 1, 2010

But lawyers say it is impossible to calculate future lost earnings. There is also no way for claimants to know whether they would receive more compensation if they decided to sue BP in the courts, which would take many months with no guarantee of success. Brent Coon, a Houston-based lawyer, said: “These are mostly uneducated people.”

Applicants could rush to apply for a one-off, lump sum payout if they believe that BP will run out of money or will put its US business into bankruptcy.

[…]

The fund does not cap BP’s liabilities at $20bn. But privately the company believes that it will not have to pay out anywhere near this sum. BP has hired a battery of lawyers to protect itself, and so far it has paid out $261m in claims.

When Feineberg takes over this month, for the first time claimants will be offered a one-off sum based on their future lost earnings, provided they agree not to sue BP.

Short-term gain — in exchange for long-term pain — What a Deal!

A deal for whom?  … should be the next question.

Where are all the good “class action suit” lawyers, when you need them?

Where is the DOJ?

Where are the “Vessels of Opportunity” for moving us to a Clean Energy future?