A few days ago, I wrote a little something about British Petroleum having the power to make sure people filing claims in the Gulf – quick, interim or final – were treated fairly and generously by Ken Feinberg’s GCCF. Well, it would appear they have decided to exercise that power, for one lucky claimant, and that’s not all…apparently they’ve also given a healthy shove to the EPA, and may be successful in reducing the government’s total estimate of leaked oil.

1. As of last weekend, 91,000 people and businesses have filed their paperwork to receive a final payment from the GCCF. As of today, one has been paid, a business, $10 million dollars. And what business was it that was so fortunate to receive such speedy service from the notoriously slow GCCF? I don’t know. Nobody knows, nobody but a few of Feinberg’s employees and British Petroleum, who pushed the payment through ahead of all the other claimants, despite Feinberg saying nobody would get paid until well into February.

Nobody, unless it’s at BP’s insistence.

Apparently, the other 90,999…well, they’re just going to have to wait.

2. British Petroleum, along with helping on one claim, has also been pressuring the EPA to reduce the government estimate as to how much oil was discharged into the Gulf from the Macondo Well, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the pressure is paying off. A source inside the EPA says the US government has agreed to reduce the 4.9 million barrel estimate, and that reduction, along with the company’s ability to spread the blame for the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon around to a few other companies, will further reduce any fine they might have to pay – no gross negligence ruling, and fewer barrels of oil released means fewer per barrels of oil to fine.

This also means, fewer monies for coastal restoration.

Perhaps a few execs at BP got a little bit tired of how Feinberg has been throwing his weight around the Gulf, and wanted to demonstrate who was really in charge?

Maybe, but more probable:

BP continues trying to save money, to protect their bottom line and get to newer, more Russian frontiers.

Unfortunately, their cost cutting continues to come at the expense of everybody who got screwed, and continues to get screwed along the entire Gulf Coast.

Have a nice day.