Title: Increasing Penalties for Offshore Polluters Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Increasing Penalties for Offshore Polluters Act
This bill generally enhances civil and criminal penalties for certain water pollution, including oil spills and discharges of other hazardous substances.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5958 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5958

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to increase the civil 
     and criminal penalties for oil spills, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 12, 2021

     Mr. Lieu (for himself, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Porter, Mr. Levin of 
California, and Mr. Lowenthal) introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to increase the civil 
     and criminal penalties for oil spills, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Increasing Penalties for Offshore 
Polluters Act''.

SEC. 2. CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES RELATING TO OIL SPILLS.

    (a) Civil Penalties.--Section 311(b)(7) of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321(b)(7)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``an amount up to'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``an amount that is at 
        least''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``not more than'' and 
        inserting ``at least''.
    (b) Criminal Penalties.--Section 309(c) of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1319(c)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``$2,500'' and inserting 
                ``$5,000'';
                    (B) by striking ``$25,000'' and inserting 
                ``$50,000'';
                    (C) by striking ``not more than 1 year'' and 
                inserting ``not more than 2 years''; and
                    (D) by striking ``punishment shall be by a fine of 
                not more than $50,000 per day of violation, or by 
                imprisonment of not more than 2 years, or by both'' and 
                inserting ``the maximum punishment shall be doubled 
                with respect to both fine and imprisonment'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``not less that $5,000'' and 
                inserting ``not less than $10,000'';
                    (B) by striking ``$50,000'' and inserting 
                ``$100,000'';
                    (C) by striking ``not more than 3 years'' and 
                inserting ``not more than 6 years''; and
                    (D) by striking ``punishment shall be by a fine of 
                not more than $100,000 per day of violation, or 
                imprisonment of not more than 6 years, or by both'' and 
                inserting ``the maximum punishment shall be doubled 
                with respect to both fine and imprisonment''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3)(A)--
                    (A) by striking ``$250,000'' and inserting 
                ``$500,000'';
                    (B) by striking ``not more than 15 years'' and 
                inserting ``not more than 30 years''; and
                    (C) by striking ``$1,000,000'' and inserting 
                ``$2,000,000''.
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