Kerry/Oil Spill Leg.

[JHS]

On August 1, John Kerry secured a key Committee’s passage of legislative language in the Coast Guard Authorization Act to prevent oil spills! It should help stop spills like the one that took place in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts last April and protect coastal communities across the country!!

Kerry’s language requires the Coast Guard to provide a report to Congress on various aspects and concerns with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, including the following:

- the possibility of accelerating the final phase-out of single-hull tankers in waters under U.S. jurisdiction

- why the Coast Guard has not increased the liability limits associated with parties responsible for oil spills

- the feasibility, costs, and benefits of requiring vessel monitoring systems on tank vessels used to transport oil or other hazardous cargo.

The bill also includes a provision that would allow the President to issue regulations requiring non-tank vessels of 400GT and greater that carry oil as fuel for main propulsion to prepare vessel response plans that are the same as the vessel response plans currently required under Oil Pollution Act for tank vessels that carry oil in bulk as cargo.

[blm]

1. Thanks, JHS...

I missed this one.