Legislation
Will oil spill companies be on hook for clean water crimes?
In a new turn for the congressional response to the Gulf Coast oil spill, legislation introduced Wednesday would mandate restitution for victims of some environmental crimes.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is separate from other efforts to increase civil liability for spills. It would amend the section of the U.S. Code relating to when judges must impose restitution during sentencing. And it would direct the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend the sentencing guidelines for crimes under the Clean Water Act.
In a statement, Leahy said, "They are important steps toward deterring criminal conduct that can cause environmental and economic disaster and toward helping those who have suffered so much from the wrongdoing of Big Oil and other large corporations."
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Two fellow Democrats, Sens. Dick Durbin, Ill., and Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I., have signed on as co-sponsors.
(Published by Law.com – June 10, 2010)