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
Oil spill governance in the United States The OPA is the primary legislation that governs oil spills in the U.S. The establishment of the OPA substantiated the federal government's role in responding to oil spill cleanups. The OPA made amendments to the already existing CWA to provide 3 options to the delegated authorities through the president. The options include conducting immediate cleanup by federal authorities, to monitor the response of the responsible party or commandeer the cleanup activities of the responsible party. Hence giving the federal government the authority to determine the level of cleanup required. A second significant amendment the OPA makes to the CWA is