1. The United States government and Congress have implemented various legislation in an attempt to hopefully reduce oil spills and make cleanup in the event of an oil spill easier. The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) was signed into law in August 1990. The OPA improved the nation's ability to prevent and respond to oil spills by establishing provisions that expand the capacity of the federal government and provide the money and resources needed to respond to oil spills. spills. OPA also created the National Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which can provide up to $1 billion per spill incident. The OPA also implemented new requirements for emergency planning, both by government and industry. The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) has been expanded to a three-tiered approach: the federal government is required to lead all public and private response efforts for certain types of spills ; Regional committees – made up of representatives from federal, state and local governments – must develop detailed, location-specific emergency plans; and owners or operators of vessels and certain facilities that pose a serious threat to the environment must prepare their own facility response plans. Finally, the OPA increased penalties for regulatory noncompliance, expanded the federal government's intervention and enforcement powers, and preserved the state's power to establish law governing prevention and oil spill response. Other implemented legislation is the Clean Water Act, formerly known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which was implemented in 1948. In 1972, the law was reorganized and expanded, adding amendments and changing its name to the Clean Water Act (CWA). ...... middle of paper ...... customer service representative. Additionally, their disclaimer for vehicle damage signs state that if anyone has any questions or concerns about the car wash, they should call their toll-free number before using their services, to avoid any damage. As a result, I have found that both of these companies have made individuals aware of the risks and situations that could arise when using each of these different services. If one still chooses to continue using the dry cleaner or car wash, even after the risks have been brought to their attention, then yes, they accept responsibility for damage to their property or personal effects. Works cited1. http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/lawsregs/opaover.htm2. http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act3. http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/protection.cfm