American Sportfishing Association Policy Alert

Oil Spill Claims Process Transferred from BP to Gulf Coast Claims Facility

For more information, contact Gordon Robertson, vice president and Government Affairs lead, 703.519.9691, x237, Mike Leonard, Ocean Resource Policy director, x230, or Alyssa Hausman, Policy Fellow, x244.

On August 23, oversight of the claims process for businesses affected by the Gulf oil spill was fully transferred from BP to the independent Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), which is in charge of distributing the $20 billion BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund under administrator Kenneth Feinberg. The GCCF was established in June through an agreement between the Obama Administration and BP officials. All personal and business claims and supporting documentation that were previously filed with the BP Claims Process have been transferred to the GCCF.  Claimants must file new forms to the GCCF to receive Emergency Advance Payments or a Final Payment for damages or losses.

For more information about the new claims process or to file a claim, please visit www.gulfcoastclaimsfacility.com.  More information can also be obtained by calling the GCCF at 1-800-916-4893 or emailing them at info@gccf-claims.com. The deadline for filing a claim is November 23, 2010.

Additional economic assistance is available through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is offering Economic Injury Disaster Loans to small businesses that have suffered financial loss as a result of the Gulf oil spill. The agency will accept loan applications for up to $2 million at an interest rate of 4%. More information regarding the SBA loan process is available here.

As of August 20, all state waters that were affected by the oil spill have been reopened to recreational fishing, and approximately 78 percent of Gulf federal waters are open. The following websites have updated information on the spill and describe federal and state response and recovery efforts.

State

• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
• Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Federal

• Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Incident Response
• Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
• NOAA Fisheries Service – Southeast Regional Office
• Environmental Protection Agency Response

The American Sportfishing Association will continue to track the spill and work to help mitigate the impacts of this disaster on both the resource and the recreational fishing industry.