OPA '90: A success story

摘要

When the industry says a law or regulation has been good, I'm skeptical to say the least. But with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, that appears to be the case. Shippers and barge operators have embraced the law and statistics show a big drop in oil spills in the 25 years since its enactment. In our cover story that begins on page 32, Kirk Moore takes a look back at OPA '90, a quarter century after it was passed. Initially, some operators were predicting doom and gloom, a result of the requirement that all new tankers and tank barges be built with double hulls. It basically meant the forced retirement of the nation's entire single-hull tank barge and vessel fleet.