OIL POLLUTION ACT Erika Arthur/Emily Stout 3 rd Period AP Environmental Science

What is the Oil Pollution Act?  Signed into law in August 1990  Response to the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989  Passed very easily through Congress  Amended the Federal Water Pollution Control Act’s (Clean Water Act) rules for spills and cleanup  Improved the nation’s ability to respond to spills  Established provisions that expand the government’s control over funding and resources needed to respond to spills  Created new requirements for preventing and managing spills  Double hulls are encouraged, required by 2015  Increased noncompliance penalties  Alaska: a tug and an emergency response vehicle are required to escort any loaded tanker through Prince William Sound

OPA vs. Clean Water Act  OPA  “A company cannot ship oil into the United States until it presents a plan to prevent spills that may occur. It must also have a detailed containment and cleanup plan in case of an oil spill emergency.”  The OPA added requirements for some storage facilities above ground  The Clean Water Act  The CWA was a less specific precursor to the OPA

Short Term Effects  The Oil Pollution Act was mostly created in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  It was signed into law in August of 1990, a year after the Exxon Valdez spill.  The OPA said that the Exxon Valdez could never again enter Prince William Sound.  Any other ship that had spilled more than 1 million gallons of oil was also banned.

Long Term Effects  Created the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund  States that the owner or operator of the facility which created the spill is responsible for cleanup costs However, the OSLTF provides aid if the owner/operator cannot/will not pay for cleanup Borrowing limit is now 1 billion dollars This money comes from oil taxes  Increased penalties for spills and violations  Penalties up to $25,000/day or $1000/barrel

Seabirds killed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. A cormorant covered in oil. Oil pooling among rocks in Prince William Sound.

Oil spill cleanup responses, oil slick on the surface of the water in PWS.

Works Cited