Oil spill governance in the United States the "Exxon Valdez" incident a number of laws were in place to prevent and respond to oil spills. These include: The above legislations were the principle governing instruments of oil spills incidents prior to the "Exxon Valdez" oil spill. Several attempts by congress to establish more encompassing and elaborate oil pollution laws were hindered by belligerent issues which mostly produced stalemates. One such conflict was federal law limiting a state's ability to enforce requirements and liability for parties responsible for causing oil spills. The focus of the debates was mostly centred on party liability. An example of the type of
Prestige oil spill claim against ABS was some $700 million. The Galicia regional High Court set the "Prestige" oil spill trial date for October 16, 2012, against officers, the insurer London Club, International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, the ship's owner, Liberia-based Mare Shipping Inc with its director general. The harbor master of A Coruña at the time, Ángel del Real, and a Galician government delegate, Arsenio Fernández de Mesa, had also been charged with "aggravating the disaster by ignoring technical advice". the hearing began on 16 June 2012 and expected to adjourn in November, the tenth anniversary of the disaster.