Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., along with Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has
introdcued a bill that would hold polluters accountable for oil spills
that originate in foreign waters. The legislation targets offshore
drilling in Cuban waters, where the Spanish oil giant Repsol is set to
begin work in December.
"Our goal here is to hold foreign oil companies liable if they have a
spill that reaches U.S. waters," Nelson said. "It's in part aimed at the
situation in Cuba, where Repsol is planning to drill. If there's a spill
there we could lose part of the Everglades, or the Keys, or the coral
reefs, or our fishing industry or tourism -- and jobs. That's why the
U.S. needs to carry a big stick."
Nelson said that current law contains ambiguities that could keep those
who are affected by an oil spill in foreign water from suing under the
Oil Pollution Act, the main body of law governing oil spills. The
senators' bill will allow U.S. claimants to sue foreign spillers
directly. It also remove the $75 million liability cap for spills
emanating from foreign waters, and would also ensure that U.S. spill
victims could tap the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund in such spills.
(After last year's BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, both Nelson and
Menendez tried unsuccessfully to remove the existing liability cap for
spills originating in U.S. waters.)
Earlier this week, Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, also introduced
legislation that targets the possibility of oil spills originating in
Cuban waters. His bill has a slightly different bent, calling for the
liability cap and penalties to be tripled if the spill originates from a
country that's considered by the U.S. to be a state sponsor of terrorism.
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