Democrats Considering Unlimited Oil Spill Liability

Democrats in the U.S. Senate are considering pushing legislation that would place no limits on the liability oil industry companies would face if they are responsible for oil spills, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said Tuesday.

“We will be discussing whether to go to unlimited liability,” Menendez told reporters.

Menendez and other Democratic senators previously were seeking a bill for a $10 billion liability cap per company, per incident, up from the current $75 million.

The legislation is in response to the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan)