Oil spill governance in the United States debates is illustrated in the question "who is liable in the case of a vessel spill?" The cargo owner or the ship operator/ owner? Another significant issue was the interaction of domestic legislation and international measures. In 1980's, international agreements being considered would take over oil spills federal and state laws adding further complexity to party liability. However, after the "Exxon Valdez" incident, the short comings of the patchy framework for oil spill governance was apparent and growing pressure placed on lawmakers resulted in the establishment of the more comprehensive Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The Oil Pollution Act (1990):
Oil Spill Response Limited Oil Spill Response Limited Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is a British firm specializing in the global fight against oil spills. The company was founded in 1985 and employs about 300 people at nine locations. Shareholders are all major oil companies such as BHP Billiton, Chevron Corporation, Eni, ExxonMobil, Petronas, Saudi Aramco, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Total. OSRL is the largest industry-developed and co-financed by the cooperative for emergency response. As such, the company's focus is not on the generation of profits. Funding is provided by the annual contributions of its 44 stakeholders and 118 extraordinary members, as well