NEW ORLEANS — Robert Campo once believed the TV commercials by oil giant BP that promised to "make it right" and compensate those along the Gulf Coast who lost work during last year's disastrous oil spill. More than a year after the spill ruined his oyster beds, however, Campo is still waiting for what he believes is full payment. The $20 billion fund created by BP to compensate those ruined by the spill has offered him less than one-third of what he requested. He's still waiting to hear why. "I'm not looking for a handout. I'm just looking for them to make right what they did wrong," says Campo, an oyster fisherman from St. Bernard Parish, La. "It's taken way too long." Campo joins a chorus of local fishermen, seafood processors, hoteliers and others who say that nearly a year since it opened its doors, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility that administers the BP fund has not moved fast enough to pay those hurt most by the spill. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder ordered an independent audit of the fund. Kenneth Feinberg, the fund's administrator, has agreed to the audit, scheduled for sometime this year. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has paid nearly $5 billion in claims to about 200,000 claimants, one of the largest payout efforts in U.S. history, according to the facility. more
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