About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

B-289209 1 (2002-05-31)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptaocf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: G AO ,Accountability * Integrity* Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 B-289209 May 31, 2002 The Honorable Lane Evans Ranking Democratic Member Committee on Veterans' Affairs House of Representatives Subject: Use of Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for Administrative Costs of Processing Oil Pollution Act Claims Dear Mr. Evans: This responds to your letter of October 9, 2001, written jointly with The Honorable Corrine Brown, concerning the Coast Guard's use of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (the Trust Fund), as created by the Oil Pollution Act (the Act), Pub. L. No. 101-380, 104 Stat. 484 (1990). The Act established a no-year appropriation for payment from the Trust Fund of uncompensated claims for damages and removal costs arising from oil spills. 33 U.S.C. §§ 2712(a)(4), 2752(b). It also authorized annual appropriations, not to exceed $25 million per year, to be derived from the Trust Fund, for payment of the Coast Guard's operating expenses under the Act. 33 U.S.C. §§ 2712(a)(5)(A), 2752(a). Congress appropriates funds annually out of the Trust Fund for use as part of the Coast Guard operating expenses appropriation. For fiscal year 2002, for example, the total operating expense appropriation is about $3.4 billion for the necessary expenses for the operation and maintenance of the Coast Guard, of which $24.9 million came from the Trust Fund. Pub. L. No. 107-87, 115 Stat. 833, 835 (2001). Nevertheless, since 1998, the Coast Guard has used the Act's no-year appropriation to pay not only the uncompensated claims, but also its costs of processing those claims, including the salaries of adjudicators and the other administrative expenses associated with payment of the claims. You asked for our opinion on whether the no- year appropriation is available for these purposes.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most