Opinion ID: 118346
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Text: The OPA contains nine titles, two having the most significance for these cases. Title I is captioned Oil Pollution Liability, and Compensation and adds extensive new provisions to the United States Code. See 104 Stat. 2375, 33 U. S. C. § 2701 et seq. (1994 ed. and Supp. III). Title I imposes liability (for both removal costs and damages) on parties responsible for an oil spill. § 2702. Other provisions provide defenses to, and limitations on, this liability. 33 U. S. C. §§ 2703, 2704. Of considerable importance to these cases are OPA's saving clauses, found in Title I of the Act, § 2718, and to be discussed below. Title IV of OPA is entitled Prevention and Removal. For the most part, it amends existing statutory provisions or instructs the Secretary of Transportation (whose departments include the Coast Guard) to take action under previous grants of rule making authority. For example, Title IV instructs the Coast Guard to require reporting of marine casualties resulting in a significant harm to the environment. 46 U. S. C. § 6101(a)(5) (1994 ed. and Supp. V). Title IV further requires the Secretary to issue regulations to define those areas, including Puget Sound, on which single hulled tankers shall be escorted by other vessels. 104 Stat. 523. By incremental dates specified in the Act, all covered tanker vessels must have a double hull. 46 U. S. C. § 3703a.