33 USC 2718 – Relationship to other law
(a) Preservation of State authorities; Solid Waste Disposal Act
Nothing in this Act or the Act of March 3, 1851 shall—
(1) affect, or be construed or interpreted as preempting, the authority of any State or political subdivision thereof from imposing any additional liability or requirements with respect to—
(A) the discharge of oil or other pollution by oil within such State; or
(B) any removal activities in connection with such a discharge; or
(2) affect, or be construed or interpreted to affect or modify in any way the obligations or liabilities of any person under the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.) or State law, including common law.
(b) Preservation of State funds
Terms Used In 33 USC 2718
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
Nothing in this Act or in section 9509 of title 26 shall in any way affect, or be construed to affect, the authority of any State—
(1) to establish, or to continue in effect, a fund any purpose of which is to pay for costs or damages arising out of, or directly resulting from, oil pollution or the substantial threat of oil pollution; or
(2) to require any person to contribute to such a fund.
(c) Additional requirements and liabilities; penalties
Nothing in this Act, the Act of March 3, 1851 (46 U.S.C. 183 et seq.),1 or section 9509 of title 26, shall in any way affect, or be construed to affect, the authority of the United States or any State or political subdivision thereof—
(1) to impose additional liability or additional requirements; or
(2) to impose, or to determine the amount of, any fine or penalty (whether criminal or civil in nature) for any violation of law;
relating to the discharge, or substantial threat of a discharge, of oil.
(d) Federal employee liability
For purposes of section 2679(b)(2)(B) of title 28, nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or create a cause of action against a Federal officer or employee in the officer’s or employee’s personal or individual capacity for any act or omission while acting within the scope of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment.