Following concerns about its speed and transparency, Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Wednesday an independent audit of the $20 billion fund set up last year to compensate victims of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Associated Press reported.
In a letter sent to Kenneth Feinberg, who administers the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, Holder reiterated the need for speed and fairness in the fund’s distribution and said the audit would likely start before the end of next year.
On a trip to the gulf on June 30, Holder met with victims of the spill and expressed concern over the way the claims process was being run by Feinberg.
“I’m a little worried about the pace and the transparency,” Holder said then. “We have to ensure that it keeps pace with the restoration of this most beautiful part of the country.”
But Holder did cut Feinberg some slack over the enormity of the task.
“I know he and his people are trying,” he said. “But this was an extraordinary event. It had a major impact on the communities here and on the lives of a great many people. We need to do the best we can by our fellow citizens.”
In the letter, Holder said Feinberg had agreed to an audit. And Feinberg said in response that the audit would not disrupt the processing of claims.
So far, the fund has paid out $4.7 billion to 198,475 of the total 522,506 individuals seeking money, many with multiple claims. The fund has received nearly 1 million claims in all.
