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U.S. Fifth Circuit Affirms $20 Million Judgment Against Barge Owner as Responsible Party Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990

The Energy Law Blog

Factual Background In July of 2008, nearly 300,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Mississippi River in New Orleans when a tugboat towing an oil-filled barge veered across the river into the path of an ocean-going tanker. American Commercial Lines (“ACL”) owned the tug MEL OLIVER, and bareboat chartered its tug to DRD Towing.

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Policy News: July 12, 2021

ESA

Amid competing House and Senate proposals to increase funding levels for the National Science Foundation, the House Appropriations Committee released its fiscal year (FY) 2022 spending bill covering NSF, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. The bill includes $9.63 billion for NSF, a 13% increase over last fiscal year.

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Policy News: June 28, 2021

ESA

Senators confirmed Richard Spinrad to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by a voice vote. He served as NOAA’s chief scientist from 2014 and 2016 and has also led both NOAA’s Office of Atmospheric Research and the National Ocean Service. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’s South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act ( S.

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