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Wyden, Smith include oil spill
provisions in Coast Guard reauthorization bill
Senators worked to get tougher oil spill
response plans & expedited loans for people impacted by spills
July 16, 2004
Washington, D.C. – U.S.
Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today announced that the Coast
Guard Reauthorization Bill includes provisions they sought to
protect coastal communities from future oil spills, as well as
a loan provision to aid those who suffer economic damages from
oil spills.
“Requiring all vessels
carrying large amounts of oil to have spill response plans will
help protect future generations from the devastation of oil spills
such as that caused by the New Carissa,” Wyden, a conferee
on the Coast Guard bill, said. “In addition, the oil spill
loan provision will help folks whose livelihoods are damaged by
oil spills get back on their feet more quickly.”
“Oil spills are terrible
tragedies that can destroy not only the ocean’s flora and
fauna but also coastal economies,” Smith said. “This
legislation will go a long way in preventing hardship like that
suffered by Oregon after the New Carissa spill.”
In February 1999, the New Carissa
ran aground on the Oregon coast, spilling large quantities of
oil and causing widespread environmental and economic damage.
Under current law, only oil tankers are required to have oil spill
response plans. The new spill response plan provision expands
the requirement to all non-tanker vessels, such as the New Carissa,
carrying large quantities of oil.
To address economic damages
like those caused by the New Carissa spill, the Senators also
included a loan provision in the reauthorization bill. Under current
law, it can take several years for those who suffer economic damages
from a spill, such as the oyster farmers on the Oregon coast,
to get compensation from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. With
this provision, originally a Smith-Wyden stand-alone measure that
was added as an amendment to the Coast Guard bill, victims of
oil spills will be able to get low-interest loans in the interim
to help them recover more quickly.
The Coast Guard Reauthorization
bill also includes an increase in the overall Coast Guard budget
and accelerated modernization of the Coast Guard’s deepwater
fleet to help it fulfill its expanded homeland security role.
In addition, the bill includes provisions, such as a program for
repayment of student loans, to help the Coast Guard attract and
retain the most qualified personnel.
These provisions were approved
this week by the Coast Guard Reauthorization conference committee.
The bill must now get final Congressional approval before going
to the White House for the President’s signature.
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