Keeping the oceans oil-free

Despite public expectations that business would not proceed as usual after the Exxon Valdez accident, old politics continue to thwart efforts to develop new strategies and technologies for improving the safety of oil transport. The recent spills off the Spanish coast and the Shetland Islands provided further evidence that the international oil-transport system has not cleaned up its act. Congress responded to the Valdez spills by passing the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), signed by the president on August 18, 1990, less than 17 months after the spill - a remarkably fast pace for a major piece of legislation. The bill had something for everyone. OPA mandated better navigational equipment on board ships and imports, double hulls on oil tankers, and improved cleanup technologies and strategies. The law created R and D programs to support these mandates and provided for better licensing procedures, training programs, and contingency planning. OPA also instituted a management system that distributes authority over oil transport among many government agencies, although the secretary of transportation retains the last word on most matters. Perhaps most significantly, the act raised shippers' liability limits substantially. This paper reviews the provisions of this act by discussing the shape of ships tomore » come; improving prevention and cleanup; and establishing accountability.« less