"Lawmakers Offer Bills to Address Spill Issues"

"House and Senate Democratic leaders introduced bills on Tuesday responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, with provisions to overhaul the federal regulation of offshore drilling, lift liability limits on companies responsible for damaging spills and funnel more money to spill-related research and restoration projects.

he narrowly written Senate bill falls far short of the comprehensive legislation on energy and climate change  that Senate Democrats and the White House have been pursuing for more than a year. Senate leaders abandoned that goal last week, conceding that they did not have the support or the time to pass any bill to begin to control the greenhouse gases that are contributing to the warming of the planet.

The House passed a comprehensive climate bill in June 2009.

Both new measures call for a reorganization of the Department of Interior’s troubled agency that regulates offshore drilling, formerly known as the Minerals Management Service. They also call for tougher oversight of offshore operations, more assertive environmental monitoring and new fees on oil companies to help pay for compliance."

John M. Broder reports for the New York Times July 28, 2010.

SEE ALSO:

"Gulf Oil Spill Prompts House, Senate Bills" (Washington Post)

"It's Spill Bill Time" (Mother Jones)