BP oil spill settlement could come sooner for some

The US Congress has smoothed the way for some people and companies to settle legal claims.

The claims with BP, from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, could go through quicker thanks to a spending plan in which 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties related to the spill will be put into a new trust fund.

The fund, ostensibly for restoration efforts in five states, will be spent by Congress under complex budget rules to assist in the settling of oil-spill claims as they come up.

The plan is part of a massive transportation bill which passed by a vote of 373-52 in the House of Representatives and 74-19 in the Senate.

An explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April 2010 led to the biggest oil spill in US, leading to thousands of claims.