In an article for Marine Link, Jeffrey Lewis traces the environmental disasters that led to the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA ’90), including the TORREY CANYON, Ixtoc I, and EXXON VALDEZ spills. He highlights the law’s major reforms, from enhanced spill response authority and contingency planning to double-hull requirements and expanded liability provisions. Lewis concludes that while Deepwater Horizon exposed areas for improvement, the unprecedented 2010 spill ultimately demonstrated the strength and resilience of OPA ’90’s regulatory framework in managing one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.
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