Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Definition

The Oil Pollution Act was enacted in response to rising public concern following the Exxon Valdez incident. It strengthened EPA's ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic oil spills by establishing provisions that expand federal government's ability for spill response and natural resource damage assessment.

Related terms

Exxon Valdez Incident: A major oil spill that occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in March 1989 when an oil tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company struck a reef and spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The U.S. federal agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.

Natural Resource Damage Assessment: This is the process of collecting, compiling, and analyzing information to make decisions about how to restore the environment following an oil spill.