Oil Pollution Act Law and Legal Definition
The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 streamlined and strengthened the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic oil spills. The OPA requires oil storage facilities and vessels to submit to the Federal government plans detailing how they will respond to large discharges. The EPA has published regulations for aboveground storage facilities. The OPA also requires the development of Area Contingency Plans to prepare and plan for an oil spill response on a regional scale.
