Environment

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Gulf Coast claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg says there are inconsistencies in how claims are paid. He says it sometimes takes too long to get a check, and the system isn't as transparent as it could be.

"I think they're all related to the volume of claims -- the sheer magnitude of the task, where it's going to be inevitable there's going to be inconsistency. You try and minimize it. But I acknowledge the problem."

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Captain Alwin Landry stood before a massive American flag at the honor ceremony in the Belle Chase air station hangar. Coast Guard officials commended Landry and several of his crew members for quickly rescuing workers from the flaming wreck and burning oil floating amid the debris. Landry remembered those who didn't survive the April 20th disaster.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is telling oil industry representatives meeting at the Baker Institute at Rice University that new regulations aren't holding up offshore operations. Michael Bromwich says there are still unanswered questions about containing an accident.

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Secretary Locke says the program called Commerce Connect is expanding to help businesses getting started or looking to grow. He says it's one way to help small companies that are still struggling to recover from the BP oil spill last April.

We really felt that we needed to help those small-business owners who are so, you know, preoccupied with just trying to keep the doors open and lining up business."

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – BP says the laptop was lost March 1st. It started sending notices this week to those affected. The laptop requires a password, but the information itself is not encrypted. It includes a person's name, birthday and Social Security number. The claims were filed before the process was taken over in August by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. BP says there's no evidence the information has been misused, and it's offering free credit monitoring.
For WWNO, I'm Eileen Fleming.

By Eileen Fleming