>> lease generated bp for $15,000 a month. when you can go anywhere and rent $1,500 a month. >> reporter: which when bp and the government set up 40,000 cleanup workers, businessmen like ronnie sold bp everything from ty vex suits to kitty litter. >> it's been good for our business i'll say that. >> any rooms? totally broke about six months. >> six months? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: and now this house is going for $30,000 a month. before the spill it went for $1,500 a month. rented out by a group contracted by the government, all of it paid for by bp. a recent report discovered local officials used cleanup money to buy new suvs, tasers, even an ipad. so did bp ever think of putting an end to it? not really. >> our focus was getting people, getting equipment, and meeting the challenges. >> reporter: no matter what the price? >> no matter what it took at that point in time to deliver. >> reporter: despite the nearly $18 billion bp spent here, tens of thousands still await claims checks and for an uncertain