The Editors of the Times-Picayune want to know what’s in the escrow document, and with good reason:

BP and the Justice Department said the company’s payment Monday came after they finished negotiations to establish the escrow account. Their agreement could help answer some of the questions surrounding the fund. But neither the company nor the government released the contract. That document should be made public, so Americans can see exactly what the parties agreed to do.
BP’s statement on its initial deposit, for example, said the fund also will pay for “natural resource damages.” BP faces gargantuan fines for its spill, and if those fines or other company expenses were to be paid from the trust account, that would mean billions of dollars less to compensate people directly affected by the spill. That would be unacceptable.
The Obama administration and BP must address these questions — and releasing the text of their agreement involving the fund would help provide answers.

Read the entire editorial here.