54 
held before the Committee on Commerce, Subcommittee on Oceans: 
and Atmosphere pursuant to this bill and two others introduced by 
Senator Magnuson also related to International Conventions on 
ocean pollution.* These hearings pointed out the growing concern 
regarding the worldwide effects of marine pollution. 
On the House side, Congresswoman Leonor K. Sullivan introduced 
a companion bill, H.R. 5451, on March 8, 1973. On May 8, 1973 this. 
bill passed the House amended and was referred to the Senate 
Committee on Commerce. Senator Warren G. Magnuson reported the 
House bill to the Senate without amendment on September 21, 1973, 
and it was subsequently signed into law on October 4, 1973 (Public 
Law 93-119). The Oil Pollution Act Amendments of 1973 established 
as United States law the provisions of the IMCO amendments 
described in the previous chapter, 
Intervention on the High Seas Act of 1974 
In order to implement the International Convention Relating to. 
Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties 
of 1969, Senator Warren G. Magnuson introduced 8S. 1070 on 
March 1, 1973. This measure was reported to the Senate on Novem- 
ber 2, 1973, and passed. the Senate on November 5th. Following sub-- 
sequent deliberation in the House, Congress enacted the Intervention 
on the High Seas Act (Public Law 93-248), signed into law on 
February 5, 1974. This Act closely follows the measures prescribed 
in the Convention and establishes liabilities and penalties for violating: 
the provisions of the Act. 
Proposed Act Concerning Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage 
The case for establishing clear lability and providing compensation 
to innocent parties suffermmg damage from an oil spill was dramatized 
following the Santa Barbara Channel blowout and the Torrey Canyon 
disaster. These widely publicized mishaps focused much attention 
on the massive cleanup efforts and attempts to control the oil spills. 
These efforts cost millions of dollars and, in the case of the Torrey 
Canyon, suggested the benefits of international agreements on assign- 
ing lability and compensation. 
S. 841, troduced by Senator Ernest F. Hollings on February 8, 
1973, was designed to incorporate into national law the provisions of 
two international Conventions concluded at IMCO assemblies in 1969 
and 1971. This enabling legislation was referred to the Senate Com- 
mittee on Foreign Relations for consideration in conjunction with the 
Executive Communications describing the Conventions. The Inter- 
national Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage was 
reported out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but action 
on the International Convention on the Establishment of an Inter- 
national Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage was post- 
poned pending enactment of proposed amendments to S. 841. These 
amendments would raise the liability limits of the Fund from the maxi- 
mum of $32,400,000 set by the International Convention up to a maxi- 
imum of $100,000,000 by contributions levied on receivers of oil 
imported into the United States. These contributions would be based 
on a fixed sum per ton of oil and adjusted as needed from time to time. 
53 U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce. Subcommittee on Oceans and Atmosphere. Ocean; 2 
Pollution. Hearings, 93rd Cong., Ist sess., on S. 1067, S. 1070 (and) S. 1851. June 12-18, 28, 1973. Washington. 
U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1974. 398 p. “Serial no. 93-46.”’ 
