Oil Pollution Act of 1990
By Tim and Brian
Goal/Function
• Law stated that companies must…
• “plan to prevent spills that may occur” and
have a “detailed containment and cleanup
plan” for oil spills.
• The act also intended to prevent oil spills from
oil tankers and other marine vessels.
Regulation and Enforcement
• The United States Congress, passed the law in 1990,
and the federal government is responsible for
regulating and enforcing the act.
• Although the act is based off of ways to prevent oil
spills, there are various penalties to those who do
not notify appropriate federal agencies of a spill.
• An oil company cannot legally operate overseas until
proper prevention and cleanup plans have been
approved by the EPA, Coast Guard and the President.
Penalties/Fines
• Max penalty for an individual – $250,000
• Max penalty for an organization - $500,000
• Max imprisonment - 5 – 15 years
• $25,000 per day of violation
• $1,000 per barrel of oil discharged
Relevant Information
• The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was developed
largely in response to the Exxon Valdez
Incident of 1989.
• On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil
tanker struck Bligh Reef in Prince William
Sound, spilling more than 11 million gallons of
crude oil into the ocean.
• George H.W. Bush was president at the time of
the act’s development and implementation.
Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act
(EPCRA)
By Tim and Brian
Goal/Function
• Emergency Planning - to ensure that state and
local communities are prepared to respond to
potential chemical accidents
• Community Right-to-Know - to increase
community awareness of chemical hazards
and to facilitate emergency planning
Regulation and Enforcement
• The Emergency Planning and Community Right-
to-Know Act was passed by the United States
Congress in 1986.
• CERCLA has made a list of extremely hazardous
materials/substances/chemicals and a reportable
quantity.
• For each district, the State Emergency Response
Commission appoints, supervises and coordinates
the activities of a Local Emergency Planning
Committee.
Regulation and Enforcement
Continued…
The plan developed by the LEPC must:
• identify affected facilities and transportation routes;
• describe emergency notification and response procedures;
• designate community and facility emergency coordinators;
• describe methods to determine the occurrence and extent
of a release;
• identify available response equipment and personnel;
• outline evacuation plans;
• describe training and practice programs and schedules; and
• contain methods and schedules for exercising the plan.
Penalties/Fines
• No penalties or fines
• Requirements you have to meet (required by
federal law)
Some Requirements:
• Prepare or have available a Material Safety Data
Sheet (MSDS) for a hazardous chemical
• threshold limits established by the EPA:
– 10,000 pounds for hazardous chemicals
– lesser of 500 pounds or the threshold planning
quantity for extremely hazardous substances.