Oil Pollution Prevention and Response Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-2440
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2006-03-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Animals
Auditing
Coast guard
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Data banks
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation
Disaster relief
Economics and Public Finance
Emergency Management
Endangered species
Energy transportation
Environmental assessment
Environmental law enforcement
Environmental research
Environmental technology
Estuaries
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to research
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government trust funds
Habitat conservation
Indexing (Economic policy)
International Affairs
International environmental cooperation
Law
Liability for environmental damages
Maps
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine parks and reserves
Marine pollution
Marine safety
National parks
National seashores
Navigation
Oil pollution
Oil spills and wildlife
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Remote sensing
Rescue work
Research and development
Research grants
Revolving funds
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
Tankers
Technological innovations
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation research
Treaties
Tugboats
Washington State
Water pollution control

Summary:
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: 
Oil Pollution Prevention and Response Act of 2006 - Requires a: (1) report on the status of specified Coast Guard rulemakings; and (2) final rule in each pending rulemaking under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
 
Establishes certain guidelines for the promulgation of safety standards for towing vessels.
 
Requires all U.S. and foreign-flag tank vessels that enter a U.S. port to be Coast Guard (CG) inspected for potential risk of an oil spill.
 
Requires promulgation of regulations to reduce the risks of oil spills involving the transfer of oil from or to a tank vessel.
 
Requires the CG to: (1) identify the types of human errors that cause oil spills and near-miss oil spill incidents; and (2) promulgate regulations designed to reduce the risks of oil spills from human errors.
 
Requires the CG to improve its coordination with tribal governments of federally-recognized Indian tribes with respect to oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response.
 
Codifies into federal law the establishment of the Oil Spill Advisory Council.
 
Requires completion of the electronic navigation chart suite for all U.S. coastal waters.
 
Requires a rapid response system to collect and predict in situ information about oil spill behavior.
 
Increases maximum liability amounts for tank and other vessels or offshore facilities (other than deepwater ports) for removal costs and damages incurred with respect to the discharge of oil into U.S. waters or upon adjoining shorelines. Makes owners of oil (in addition to vessel owners) transported in single hull tank vessels liable for such costs and damages after December 31, 2010.
 
Requires the stationing of a rescue tug in the entry to the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Neah Bay.
 
Establishes the Federal Oil Spill Research Committee. Establishes a grant program for research, development, and demonstration of new technologies to prevent, detect, or mitigate oil discharges and to protect the environment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S2330-2334)
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2329-2330)
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Introduced in Senate