Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 2010

Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 2010 - Finds that BP p.l.c. (BP) confessed under oath before Congress to being the responsible party for the discharge of oil in the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

Requires BP immediately to pay the United States $25 billion as partial compensation for removal costs and damages for which BP is liable.

States that a specified limitation on damages under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 shall not apply with respect to the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

Prohibits the construction of this Act as limiting the liability of BP for such amount.

Requires amounts paid by BP under this Act to be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury and made available to the Secretary of the Interior to reimburse any person for removal costs and damages incurred as a result of the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5520 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5520

  To require immediate payment by BP p.l.c to the United States of an 
amount for use to compensate all affected persons for removal costs and 
 damages arising from the explosion and sinking of the mobile offshore 
 drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, to make that amount available to the 
   Secretary of the Interior to pay such compensation, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 14, 2010

 Mr. Kagen (for himself, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Hall of New York, Mr. 
 Boswell, Mr. Hare, Ms. Sutton, Mr. Deutch, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Johnson 
 of Georgia, Mr. Connolly of Virginia, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
 Schauer, Mr. Spratt, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Baca, Ms. Clarke, Ms. 
Lee of California, and Mr. Cohen) introduced the following bill; which 
   was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require immediate payment by BP p.l.c to the United States of an 
amount for use to compensate all affected persons for removal costs and 
 damages arising from the explosion and sinking of the mobile offshore 
 drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, to make that amount available to the 
   Secretary of the Interior to pay such compensation, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 
2010''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION FOR REMOVAL COSTS AND DAMAGES ARISING 
              FROM THE ``DEEPWATER HORIZON'' INCIDENT.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that BP p.l.c confessed under oath 
before Congress to being the responsible party for the discharge of oil 
in the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the explosion on and sinking of 
the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.
    (b) Payment by BP.--
            (1) Payment required.--BP shall immediately pay to the 
        United States $25,000,000,000 as partial compensation for 
        removal costs and damages for which BP is liable.
            (2) Limitation on damages not applicable.--Section 
        1004(a)(3) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 
        2703(a)(3)) shall not apply with respect to the explosion on 
        and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater 
        Horizon.
            (3) No limitation on liability.--This section shall not be 
        construed to limit the liability of BP to the amount set forth 
        in paragraph (1).
    (c) Deposit and Use.--Amounts paid by BP under subsection (a) shall 
be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury and shall be 
available to the Secretary of the Interior without further 
appropriation to reimburse any person for removal costs and damages 
incurred by the person as a result of the explosion on and sinking of 
the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) BP.--The term ``BP'' means BP p.l.c.
            (2) Terms defined in oil pollution act of 1990.--Each of 
        the terms ``damages'', ``discharge'', ``oil'', ``removal 
        costs'', ``remove'', and ``responsible party'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 1001 of the Oil Pollution Act of 
        1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701).
                                 <all>