Consumer Law

Olbermann on BP Trying to Cap What It Owes Fisherman

By Joe Consumer

Ah, here we go.  Check out last night's Keith Olbermann's interview with the very frustrated George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fishermen's Association.  Here's an excerpt:

OLBERMANN: But a question about BP -- do you -- have they been straight with you and your members? Do you feel like you can trust them to any degree?

BARISICH: Yes, some issues, once we forced them, you know, once our attorneys forced them to do certain things, you know? And I met with Feinberg himself and he promised this and that. But what I don`t like is we had numerous town hall meetings and there was an agreement, there was a statement saying any work you do to help BP clean up their mess, it wasn`t ours, you know, would not come out of any settlement.

The day after they capped it, partially capped it, they hit the TV saying, well, any work you do is coming out of the settlement. That`s not boding too well right now. It`s really not.

OLBERMANN: So -- in other words, I haven`t heard this before. In other words, if you`ve done work for BP, that would be subtracted from the amount that BP is liable to pay you?

BARISICH: That`s what you understand now. And when we started working for `em, you know, and it`s on record, we`ve got them taped saying that -- that, no, it would not come out because you`re helping us clean our mess.

OLBERMANN: Right. And it`s like -- well, the mess is gone now. What mess are we talking about?

BARISICH: Well, that`s a misconception, too.

OLBERMANN: Yes.

BARISICH: The mess is not going to just stop, you know?

OLBERMANN: Are you surprised that the offers that are going to come here with the stamp of government approval that they`ll be offered as part of the escrow fund administered by Kenneth Feinberg, the man you just mentioned. Does it surprise you that this -- that this has got an official stamp to it?

BARISICH: Well, according to what Mr. Feinberg said, the only reason I gave the OK ballot, you know, when I went there, because I was ready to take and pack the stuff and go home, is that he wasn`t government and he wasn`t BP. He was business-to-business. OK?

So, if you`re going to give me a fair deal, but understand you`ve got to take a lot of variables in effect. Mr. Feinberg was supposed to meet with (INAUDIBLE) and if he listens to us and understands the variables, understands the various conditions of our industry, the state that it`s in, and incorporates that into his estimates and makes a person a fair offer, you know, a lot of people may take it. But I don`t -- we`re not to that point yet.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Full post as published by ThePopTort on August 03, 2010 (boomark / email).