1.Short
title; table of contents
(a)This Act may be cited
as the Oil Spill Response and
Assistance Act
.
(b)The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of
contents.
TITLE I—Compensation
Sec. 101. Emergency preparedness.
Sec. 102. Oil pollution liability and compensation.
Sec. 103. Effective date.
TITLE II—Reports
Sec. 201. Reports regarding Gulf of Mexico oil
spill.
<enum>I</enum><header>Compensation</header>
<section id="id9B9A936B30144DCAB007C58550F63DE2"><enum>101.</enum><header>Emergency
preparedness</header>
<subsection id="id0A7821030EE84A3BB1CBECE04F677A1C"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Title IV of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (Public Law
101–380; 104 Stat. 509) is amended by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id3C09EFE6D4C542CF927D53164AB6F301" style="OLC">
<subtitle id="id5B30D2B031BA4C39BB55920AF8757636"><enum>D</enum><header>Emergency
Preparedness for Discharges</header>
<section id="id59F4FBD4371C482D91FFB04C2B6AD9C1"><enum>4401.</enum><header>Emergency
preparedness</header>
<subsection id="id9319921DA6034E01980658ADD55043CC"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this subtitle, the Secretary shall by regulation require the development and
deployment of certain technology for use in the event of a breach or explosion
at, or a significant discharge of oil from, a deepwater port, offshore
facility, or tank vessel (referred to in this section as a <term>covered
event</term>).</text>
</subsection><subsection id="idE148F6D64E1E4BD6B46FA80428738270"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>The
regulations shall require—</text>
<paragraph id="id9123823F1DC34B439530016CFFC0BA18"><enum>(1)</enum><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="id47ECFEF064CA4BBC8E32430A59FAAB0B"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the development, for
use in capping underwater oil wells affected by a covered event, technology
that is—</text>
<clause id="idBEA847865C9E4FC78E8D8D50D6024D83" indent="up1"><enum>(i)</enum><text>capable of funneling discharges of
oil from an underwater oil well to a containment vessel at the ocean surface;
and</text>
</clause><clause id="idA7CF99CFCD224223ADCC647555F6B83F" indent="up1"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>effective at water depths at least
2,000 feet deeper than the limits of oil and gas production on the outer
Continental Shelf as of the date of enactment of this subtitle; and</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id77AEB26BBA3E4E9AB576CCAF356AC3B5" indent="up1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the purchase and deployment by the
Secretary of those engineered capping technologies in such number of locations
throughout the United States (including the navigable waters), to be determined
by the Secretary, as would permit deployment and use of the domes to respond to
a covered event not later than 24 hours after the time at which the covered
event occurred;</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="IDa7608e806a2542d78ab0d03bce13b8a9"><enum>(2)</enum><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="id4890420D73FC41A8B88FE36BFB56E0FB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the development of
flame-proof booms capable of functioning in the open ocean with waves of not
more than 6 feet in height; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idB2831C2A0815427081BB3868E63DC4AD" indent="up1"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the purchase and deployment by the
Secretary of those booms at such locations and in such lengths or quantities as
would permit, as determined by the Secretary—</text>
<clause id="id77799423829541C9951E4BEA731D33F9"><enum>(i)</enum><text>the use of the booms in response to
a covered event not later than 24 hours after the time at which the covered
event occurred; and</text>
</clause><clause id="idB0CFC5445BBF4E7D8298870C7DA4C99D"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>the complete surrounding of 100
square miles of open ocean within that period of time; and</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idCABA4B15F02E42F299883D2858CDFC83"><enum>(3)</enum><text>the development,
and purchase and deployment by the Secretary, of remote operated vehicles for
use in the open ocean that are—</text>
<subparagraph id="id3120570F3FD245379325073577168D00"><enum>(A)</enum><text>equipped with
acoustic technology;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idCC465F1C47AC496A8BFA1E75A48A77F7"><enum>(B)</enum><text>capable of
welding and cutting or torching below 15,000 feet of water; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id23DDAC4876794AB4B86F4DFE3BDA6A55"><enum>(C)</enum><text>stationed at such
locations, as determined by the Secretary, as would enable the remote operated
vehicles to be available for use in an area affected by a covered event not
later than 24 hours after the time at which the covered event
occurred.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection></section></subtitle><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</subsection><subsection id="id79F17F6EEA2546708944A016AB3E0796"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Table of
contents</header><text>The table of contents for the Oil Pollution Act of 1990
(33 U.S.C. prec. 2701) is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating
to title IV the following:</text>
<quoted-block id="idc85d014b-c66a-419f-b75c-d31e08a4662a" style="OLC">
<toc>
<toc-entry idref="id5B30D2B031BA4C39BB55920AF8757636" level="subtitle">Subtitle D—Emergency Preparedness for Discharges of
Oil</toc-entry>
<toc-entry idref="id59F4FBD4371C482D91FFB04C2B6AD9C1" level="section">Sec. 4401. Emergency
preparedness.</toc-entry>
</toc>
<after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</subsection></section><section id="idE056218DC56D45FF8BC961C84EAB8880"><enum>102.</enum><header>Oil pollution
liability and compensation</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 1004 of the Oil Pollution Act of
1990 (33 U.S.C. 2704) is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the
following:</text>
<quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id30701CA04C3648119A9FE97B464FC542" style="OLC">
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="IDBD906A56A4814698AF6EF159DA113BFB"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Limits</header>
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id718DC699B29B4FF49E1ED3B67B52AB93"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Except as otherwise
provided in this section, subject to paragraph (2), the total of the liability
of a responsible party under section 1002 and any removal costs incurred by, or
on behalf of, the responsible party, with respect to each incident shall not
exceed, as indexed for United States dollar inflation from the date of
enactment of the Oil Spill Response and Assistance Act (as measured by the
Consumer Price Index)—</text>
<subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="IDBF9E5CB53AB845FD9B699DCCE88DBFDD"><enum>(A)</enum><text>for a tank
vessel, the greater of—</text>
<clause id="IDD8FDCAE7B7C7439AAC70191561263D2A"><enum>(i)</enum><text>with respect to a
single-hull vessel, including a single-hull vessel fitted with double sides
only or a double bottom only, $6,000 per gross ton;</text>
</clause><clause id="ID471FE78B4D8D4F648BC4E6E1BA84AA19"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>with respect to
a vessel other than a vessel referred to in clause (i), $3,800 per gross ton;
or</text>
</clause><clause id="ID8688D32B6E684BDE95D8F67804CEDF31"><enum>(iii)</enum><subclause commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="IDDECB2402885C48228035F35CC48635D1"><enum>(I)</enum><text>with respect to a
vessel greater than 3,000 gross tons that is—</text>
<item id="ID85BDBB01693346F8A6031C00758DE802" indent="up1"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>a vessel described in clause (i),
$44,000,000; or</text>
</item><item id="IDE225FBB552A9409CA485CBEC6A93307F" indent="up1"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>a vessel described in clause (ii),
$32,000,000; or</text>
</item></subclause><subclause id="ID05089CCD3E63439FB1F38615B1CDBC4B" indent="up1"><enum>(II)</enum><text>with respect to a vessel of 3,000 gross
tons or less that is—</text>
<item id="ID68106982DF4049ACA482DF35C2F9098C"><enum>(aa)</enum><text>a vessel described in clause (i),
$12,000,000; or</text>
</item><item id="IDBB5E6EA9FA5346D494DE2D68AFC3707C"><enum>(bb)</enum><text>a vessel described in clause (ii),
$8,000,000;</text>
</item></subclause></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID499A4EC6D05D4A489308D953E161CE81"><enum>(B)</enum><text>for any other
vessel, $1,900 per gross ton or $1,600,000, whichever is greater;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="IDC4D8B0A113854B91B6C6587061BA800E"><enum>(C)</enum><text>for an offshore
facility except a deepwater port, the total of all removal costs plus
$150,000,000; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="IDCD3FB5B90AF74CCA8A5A970DB86BED02"><enum>(D)</enum><text>for any onshore
facility and a deepwater port, $700,000,000.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idA83490523B904B1197B808CBDA6E8210"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Alternative
limitation</header><text>If the aggregate amount of net after-tax profits of a
responsible party generated during the 4 full financial reporting quarters
preceding the date of an incident involving a vessel or facility described in
paragraph (1) exceeds the limitation on liability for the category of incident
described in that paragraph, the total of the liability of the responsible
party under section 1002 and any removal costs incurred by, or on behalf of,
the responsible, with respect to each such incident shall not exceed, as
indexed for United States dollar inflation from the date of enactment of the
Oil Spill Response and Assistance Act (as measured by the Consumer Price
Index), an amount equal to that aggregate amount of those
profits.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</section><section id="id0257B2B6B09C4FE0B4347107777CAB81"><enum>103.</enum><header>Effective
date</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title and the
amendments made by this title take effect on April 15, 2010.</text>
</section><enum>II</enum><header>Reports</header>
<section id="idF3FC335BEE1D4D6BAE0E3C83C918DD27"><enum>201.</enum><header>Reports
regarding Gulf of Mexico oil spill</header>
<subsection id="id4CDFE86872454A88A27645394B257D0D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In
this section:</text>
<paragraph id="idB12934E17D9A4207BE19D79F25456555"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Head of an
appropriate Federal agency</header><text>The term <term>head of an appropriate
Federal agency</term> means the head of a Federal agency that has carried out
an activity with respect to the oil spill.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idFFA93A66512B462B8AECFC1BDFF4D6DB"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Oil
spill</header><text>The term <term>oil spill</term> means the oil spill that
occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id7E972F6B095A48CA8E838D7F764F5D79"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Study</header><text>As
soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, each head of an
appropriate Federal agency shall carry out a study—</text>
<paragraph id="idEEA1C452847F4CF39432706C61298B22"><enum>(1)</enum><text>to examine the
effectiveness of the coordination of actions carried out by the Federal
Government relating to the oil spill; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idE2EB14FC16814199B393CC8D32F8972F"><enum>(2)</enum><text>to determine the
success of each action carried out by the Federal Government in response to the
oil spill.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="id68A1F43B02724C59ADCB8D0DEA7627B6"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Report</header><text>Not
later than September 1, 2010, each head of an appropriate Federal Agency shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that contains a
description of—</text>
<paragraph id="idF9B6EE19378D4D938669338F542487F9"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the results of
the study carried out under subsection (b); and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id05FDD9E46AAB4081AF1C1C000BA24D02"><enum>(2)</enum><text>the effectiveness
and success of each activity carried out by the Federal Government in response
to the oil spill.</text>
</paragraph></subsection></section>