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):
Petrotrin oil spill spills were confirmed. It is the largest oil spill in the history of Trinidad and Tobago, with a reported leakage of 7,000 barrels Petrotrin has been facing a lot of scrutiny since the spill due to a report that revealed the pipeline that exploded may not have been inspected in over seventeen years. The company was subsequently fined $20 million by the country’s Environment Management Authority. Petrotrin has taken responsibility for nine out of the eleven spills and blaming the other two on saboteurs. To clean up the oil spill, Petrotrin has opted to use the Corexit 9500 dispersant that