Coast Guard:
Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Not Being Used to Pay All Allowable Costs
RCED-91-204: Published: Aug 12, 1991. Publicly Released: Aug 12, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
(202) 512-2834
contact@gao.gov
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov
Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reported on the: (1) Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund's receipts and disbursements as of March 31, 1991; and (2) status of activities under way to fully implement Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) provisions regarding the fund.
GAO found that: (1) as of March 31, 1991, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund had reached more than half of its $1-billion limit and the Coast Guard had disbursed $14.3 million from the fund; (2) the Coast Guard has not made payments from the fund for costs other than federal spill removal costs because the executive order delegating authority for implementing other aspects of the fund had not been issued as of July 15, 1991; (3) federal agencies involved in oil spill removal may not be reimbursed for all allowable removal costs because the procedures the Coast Guard is using until it develops new regulations do not allow full response cost payments allowed under OPA; (4) the Coast Guard has not taken any steps, such as implementing interim regulations, to allow agencies reimbursement for their nonincremental costs; and (5) Coast Guard procedures do not provide adequate guidance on federal oil spill removal activities or cost calculations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: Interim regulations implementing OPA, including its provisions for paying spill costs, have been implemented.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Transportation should take steps to ensure that the Commandant of the Coast Guard implements the recommendations included in a previous GAO report concerning improvements needed to make certain that federal spill-related removal costs are appropriately paid.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: Final regulations implementing OPA have been written and are undergoing internal agency review. In the interim, the Coast Guard has directed that full reimbursement be paid to federal agencies.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Transportation should take steps to ensure that the Commandant of the Coast Guard establishes interim regulations incorporating the OPA provision for full reimbursement of all costs incurred by agencies and agency personnel not normally involved in spill response, including the cost of their salaries.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: Final regulations implementing OPA, including third-party claims, have been written and are undergoing internal review. Internal guidance has been issued as GAO recommended.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Transportation should take steps to ensure that the Commandant of the Coast Guard establishes, if delegated the authority by the President, interim procedures for the proper payment of damages to third-party claimants and the costs of initiating natural resource damage assessment studies.
Agency Affected: Department of Transportation
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
»
Jan 25, 2021
-
Southwest Border:
DHS and DOJ Have Implemented Expedited Credible Fear Screening Pilot Programs, but Should Ensure Timely Data EntryGAO-21-144: Published: Jan 25, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 25, 2021.
Jan 21, 2021
-
Chemical Security:
Overlapping Programs Could Better Collaborate to Share Information and Identify Potential Security GapsGAO-21-12: Published: Jan 21, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 21, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
-
DHS Annual Assessment:
Most Acquisition Programs Are Meeting Goals but Data Provided to Congress Lacks Context Needed For Effective OversightGAO-21-175: Published: Jan 19, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Dec 16, 2020
-
Coast Guard:
Actions Needed to Improve National Vessel Documentation Center OperationsGAO-21-100: Published: Dec 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2020.
Nov 23, 2020
-
Southwest Border:
Information on Federal Agencies' Process for Acquiring Private Land for BarriersGAO-21-114: Published: Nov 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 23, 2020.
Nov 12, 2020
-
Coast Guard Acquisitions:
Opportunities Exist to Reduce Risk for the Offshore Patrol Cutter ProgramGAO-21-9: Published: Oct 28, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
-
TSA Acquisitions:
TSA Needs to Establish Metrics and Evaluate Third Party Testing Outcomes for Screening TechnologiesGAO-21-50: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
Oct 20, 2020
-
Homeland Security Acquisitions:
DHS Has Opportunities to Improve Its Component Acquisition OversightGAO-21-77: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 20, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
-
Disaster Assistance:
Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen FEMA's Individuals and Households ProgramGAO-20-503: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020. -
Supplemental Material for GAO-20-503:
FEMA Individuals and Households Program Applicant Data 2016 – 2018GAO-20-675SP: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here