Check, please: Wait begins on $151M chemical spill pay out

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — After a $151 million settlement was reached in a West Virginia chemical spill that tainted a local water system, the real wait begins for residents and businesses hoping to cash in on the claims process.

And for whoever is hired to administer it, that could be a daunting task.

"This is not self-help," compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg said Tuesday. "This is not the type of program where 'we'll bring somebody in and educate them.' This requires an experienced neutral (person) who's processed claims, who's done it before, is not intimidated by the complexities or the challenges."

West Virginia American Water will pay $126 million and Eastman Chemical will pay $25 million under the tentative settlement announced Monday in federal court in Charleston.

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