Prince William Sound Oil Spill Response Act of 1989

Summary

Prince William Sound Oil Spill Response Act of 1989 - Title I: Oil Spill Prevention and Response - Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, in the event of an unlawful discharge of oil into or upon Arctic waters or adjoining shorelines, to take all necessary actions to remove the oil and mitigate damage to living marine resources. Directs the Secretary to require: (1) tank vessels transporting oil from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline within Prince William Sound to be escorted by at least one towing or other appropriate vessel; (2) the use of an additional pilot licensed by the State of Alaska, for all tank vessels navigating between the Port of Valdez, Alaska, and a certain point in the Sound; (3) tank vessels operating in the Sound to carry equipment and materials sufficient to minimize environmental damage and respond quickly in the event of an oil spill. Directs the Secretary to prepare a plan to modify radar coverage of the Sound. Requires such plan to include construction of new radar sites to cover the Vessel Traffic System within the Sound and a review of existing radar surveillance and maintenance policies. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations for the Sound to: (1) require the prepositioning of oil spill containment and cleanup equipment in the Port of Valdez, the City of Cordova, and other locations within the geographic boundaries of the Sound; (2) require the person in charge of the Port to provide adequate reception facilities for oil removed from the Sound; (3) establish an oil spill response team at appropriate locations in the Sound; and (4) conduct periodic oil spill response exercises and provide training in oil spill containment and recovery techniques for individuals engaged in fish cultivation or production in the Sound. Title II: Sanctions - Amends Federal provisions concerning shipping licenses, certificates of registry, or merchant mariners documents to revoke any such document if the holder: (1) has been convicted of an alcohol-related offense within ten years of a hearing under such provisions; or (2) has been addicted to alcohol, unless the holder provides satisfactory proof that the addiction is controlled. Directs the Secretary to report to the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the adequacy of civil penalties for violations of laws governing the operation of tank vessels by individuals under the influence of alcohol and any proposed changes to such laws. Title III: Environmental Monitoring and Research and Development in Prince William Sound - Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to expend at least $5,000,000 annually out of amounts available for FY 1990 through 1992 to conduct living marine resource damage assessments and to monitor the environmental effects on such resources in Arctic waters due to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Sound. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, whenever possible, to recover such sums from the owner or operator of the Exxon Valdez. Requires such sums to be credited to the appropriations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1990 to: (1) the Coast Guard to conduct research on and develop techniques and systems to respond to oil spills in Arctic waters; and (2) the Maritime Administration to conduct technical and program studies on the safety of tank vessels operating in such waters. Title IV: Plans and Recommendations - Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to report to the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on: (1) actions taken by the Secretary to correct inadequacies of existing contingency plans for the Sound; (2) a list of oil pollution exercises conducted in the Port of Valdez and the Sound during the operation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; and (3) recommendations for changes in existing plans or laws to provide prompt response to oil spills and any other matters the Secretary considers important regarding oil spills in the Sound.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Reported to House amended, Part I

  summary · EN · 31 July 1989

  Open at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 27 April 1989

  Open at official source

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.