Amendments to Executive Order 12777
Delegates Oil Spill Liability Limit Adjustments to Federal Agencies
What it does
Agencies must set and adjust liability limits for vessels, onshore and offshore facilities and report to Congress reflecting CPI changes.
Real-world impact
- Transfers authority to update oil spill liability amounts to named federal officials.
- Alters dollar limits for liability as Consumer Price Index rises.
- Requires officials to report to Congress on desirability of limit changes.
Topics
Summary
This order changes who in the federal government can set and adjust money limits for liability under the Oil Pollution Act. It gives specific department heads and the Administrator authority to establish and raise dollar limits for vessels, onshore and offshore facilities, and deepwater ports to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index.
It also requires those officials to report to Congress on whether liability limits should be changed. The change affects how much responsible parties could be required to pay after oil spills.
Questions, answered
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- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
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