1. The Oil Protection Act of 1990 (OPA)
Draft year: 1990 by the 101st congress
Ammendment year(s): Never amended
National or International: National
By: Nick Miller
Period 2

2. The Oil Protection Act of 1990 (OPA) has greatly strengthened EPA’s ability to prevent and respond to oil spills. It allows the federal government to intervene on clean up, and makes companies liable for up to $75 million if they are responsible for an oil spill. If the companies cannot pay for the spill or are unwilling to, the OPA uses its trust fund financed by the tax on oil, to help deal with the cleanup and its costs.
The ship Athos hit a submerged anchor in the Delaware River in 2004 and spilled 263,000+ gallons of oil. A $27.5 million settlement in 2010 was provided for 10 restoration projects for the affected coast.
As of 2002, OPA had prevented 18 ships from entering Prince William Sound after the Exxon Mobil Valdez spill happened

3. Agency Responsible for Regulation and Enforcement
EPA