Congress Considers Repeal of High Seas Death Law in Wake of BP Accident
Congress is considering amending or repealing the 90-year-old Death on the High Seas Act after the deaths of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, according to a recent report by KMBC. The antiquated law limits the amount of money families can recover if a loved one is lost or killed more than three miles offshore.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee said that the oil rig explosion, which has lead to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, demonstrated the need to revise the 1920 law. "One way we can hurt BP is to make sure that 'BP' stands for 'Bills Paid,' that the money for families, the money to clean up the Gulf comes out of their pocket, and that we repeal the Death on the High Seas Act," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.
Family members of the 11 workers who were lost in the explosion testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee, urging repeal of the law. The widows of several of the workers explained how the law unfairly limited the amount of damages they could seek for the wrongful deaths of their husbands. Although no amount of money can replace their loved one, the wives noted that a repeal of the Death on the High Seas Act would bring them closer to justice.
It is unclear at this time whether or not Congress will make an amendment or a repeal retroactive to cover the Deepwater Horizon accident.
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