Oil Spill Laws: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Signed into law by U.S. President George Bush in 1990, the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) dictates clean-up plans, the terms of corporate liability and the conditions upon which federal funding is available when an oil spill occurs. The OPA was initially enacted as a swift response to the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill that occurred in 1989 in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Although this 1989 oil spill in the waters of the Pacific Ocean had been the largest, most tragic oil spill in U.S. history, the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to become the worst to date.

In fact, the Gulf of New Mexico oil spill occurred as a result of an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oilrig, operated by BP Exploration & Production. This explosion and the resulting oil spill has not only killed 11 individuals and injured 17 others, but it has also been estimated to:

Leak between 20,000 to 25,000 barrels of crude oil into the ocean each day
Destroy fish, birds, marine mammals and other forms of marine life
Cost about $10 million in cleanup fees each day (Though the spill has yet to be contained and cleaned up, it has already cost an estimated $450 billion)
Cost the fishing industry approximately $2.5 billion
Cost the tourism industry along Florida's Paradise Coast about $3 billion

To combat such severe damage to life, natural habitats and the economies of those who depend on the waters of the Gulf of New Mexico to make their living, the Oil Pollution Act also:

Allots up to $1 billion in federal funds to aid containment and clean-up efforts (via the “Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund”)
Establishes stricter requirements on contingency plans developed by both government and corporations in the petroleum industry

Oil Spill Laws & Regulations in the U.S.

Referred to as the National Oil & Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), the new regulations regarding contingency plans has three main components, stipulating that:

The U.S. Federal Government is responsible for coordinating all public and private response efforts
Area committees (comprised of agents from local, state and the federal governments) are required to construct a specific, comprehensive contingency plan based on the location, nature and severity of the oil spill
The corporation(s) who own and/or operate the dysfunctional facility responsible for the oil spill are in charge of developing their own thorough plans for how their facility will respond to such equipment failure and massive oil spills

If you or a loved one has sustained physical or financial damage as a result of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, you may be entitled to a settlement for you’re the losses you incur. Schedule a free initial consult with our oil spill lawyers today and learn more about your legal rights.

BP Oil Spill Breaking News

"BP to establish $20 billion fund for Gulf cleanup and compensation"

The Obama administration and British Petroleum (BP) have furthered negotiations for a cleanup and compensation fund for the oil spill that devastated the Gulf of Mexico.

BP, taking full respons...

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"Panel hears testimony on BP oil spill"

During its third round of meetings, a federal panel working to determine the precise cause of the BP oil spill heard testimony focusing on human errors that ...

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"Gulf oil spill could be contained soon"

There hasn't been much positive news in regards to the Gulf oil spill, but that trend may be ending as the Coast Guard says the spilled oil will be contained wit...

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Oil Spill Laws: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Oil Spill Laws & Regulations in the U.S.

BP Oil Spill Breaking News

"BP to establish $20 billion fund for Gulf cleanup and compensation"

"Panel hears testimony on BP oil spill"

"Gulf oil spill could be contained soon"

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