Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73
§9608 Financial responsibility
Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 103— - COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES RELEASES, LIABILITY, COMPENSATION › § 9608
Summary
Owners or operators of most large vessels (those over 300 gross tons, except non‑self‑propelled barges that do not carry hazardous cargo) must prove they have money or a financial backup to cover cleanup and damage costs. For each vessel the proof must equal $300 per gross ton or $5,000,000, whichever is larger. For vessels the owner can use insurance, a guarantee, a surety bond, or show they are a self‑insurer. Any bond must come from a company allowed to do business in the United States. If one person has several covered vessels, they only need to show enough coverage for the largest ship. The Treasury Secretary can block or cancel a vessel’s clearance if the President has not certified that these rules are met. The Transportation Secretary can refuse entry to, or hold, a vessel that cannot produce that certification. The President can require extra financial proof for incineration vessels because of their special risks. For certain kinds of facilities that handle hazardous substances, the President must identify priority facility classes within three years after December 11, 1980, and can start making rules not earlier than five years after that date. The President will set money‑backing rules based on the level and length of risk and may use insurance, guarantees, surety bonds, letters of credit, or self‑insurance. New rules must be phased in and fully in place within four years after they are made, with higher‑risk facilities getting priority. Multiple owners of a facility may meet the requirement together, showing each owner’s share and authorizing one applicant to act for all. Motor carrier rules are set under federal motor carrier law. If a release or threatened release occurs, claimants can sue the guarantor named as financial backup. For vessel claims, the guarantor can use the same defenses the owner could use, and can claim that the owner’s willful misconduct caused the incident, but cannot use other defenses that only applied between the guarantor and owner. For facility claims, a direct suit against a guarantor is allowed if the liable person is in bankruptcy or cannot be sued in federal court with reasonable diligence. A guarantor’s total payout in a direct suit is limited to the money limits of the insurance, bond, letter of credit, or similar instrument it provided. This limit does not reduce other legal liabilities the guarantor may have, including bad‑faith liability, and it does not reduce the liability of the owner or operator under the law.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §9608
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)The owner or operator of each vessel (except a nonself-propelled barge that does not carry hazardous substances as cargo) over three hundred gross tons that uses any port or place in the United States or the navigable waters or any offshore facility, shall establish and maintain, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the President, evidence of financial responsibility of $300 per gross ton (or for a vessel carrying hazardous substances as cargo, or $5,000,000, whichever is greater) to cover the liability prescribed under paragraph (1) of section 9607(a) of this title. Financial responsibility may be established by any one, or any combination, of the following: insurance, guarantee, surety bond, or qualification as a self-insurer. Any bond filed shall be issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in the United States. In cases where an owner or operator owns, operates, or charters more than one vessel subject to this subsection, evidence of financial responsibility need be established only to meet the maximum liability applicable to the largest of such vessels.
(2)The Secretary of the Treasury shall withhold or revoke the clearance required by section 60105 of title 46 of any vessel subject to this subsection that does not have certification furnished by the President that the financial responsibility provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection have been complied with.
(3)The Secretary of Transportation, in accordance with regulations issued by him, shall (A) deny entry to any port or place in the United States or navigable waters to, and (B) detain at the port or place in the United States from which it is about to depart for any other port or place in the United States, any vessel subject to this subsection that, upon request, does not produce certification furnished by the President that the financial responsibility provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection have been complied with.
(4)In addition to the financial responsibility provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection, the President shall require additional evidence of financial responsibility for incineration vessels in such amounts, and to cover such liabilities recognized by law, as the President deems appropriate, taking into account the potential risks posed by incineration and transport for incineration, and any other factors deemed relevant.
(b)(1)Beginning not earlier than five years after December 11, 1980, the President shall promulgate requirements (for facilities in addition to those under subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act [42 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.] and other Federal law) that classes of facilities establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility consistent with the degree and duration of risk associated with the production, transportation, treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous substances. Not later than three years after December 11, 1980, the President shall identify those classes for which requirements will be first developed and publish notice of such identification in the Federal Register. Priority in the development of such requirements shall be accorded to those classes of facilities, owners, and operators which the President determines present the highest level of risk of injury.
(2)The level of financial responsibility shall be initially established, and, when necessary, adjusted to protect against the level of risk which the President in his discretion believes is appropriate based on the payment experience of the Fund, commercial insurers, courts settlements and judgments, and voluntary claims satisfaction. To the maximum extent practicable, the President shall cooperate with and seek the advice of the commercial insurance industry in developing financial responsibility requirements. Financial responsibility may be established by any one, or any combination, of the following: insurance, guarantee, surety bond, letter of credit, or qualification as a self-insurer. In promulgating requirements under this section, the President is authorized to specify policy or other contractual terms, conditions, or defenses which are necessary, or which are unacceptable, in establishing such evidence of financial responsibility in order to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.
(3)Regulations promulgated under this subsection shall incrementally impose financial responsibility requirements as quickly as can reasonably be achieved but in no event more than 4 years after the date of promulgation. Where possible, the level of financial responsibility which the President believes appropriate as a final requirement shall be achieved through incremental, annual increases in the requirements.
(4)Where a facility is owned or operated by more than one person, evidence of financial responsibility covering the facility may be established and maintained by one of the owners or operators, or, in consolidated form, by or on behalf of two or more owners or operators. When evidence of financial responsibility is established in a consolidated form, the proportional share of each participant shall be shown. The evidence shall be accompanied by a statement authorizing the applicant to act for and in behalf of each participant in submitting and maintaining the evidence of financial responsibility.
(5)The requirements for evidence of financial responsibility for motor carriers covered by this chapter shall be determined under section 31139 of title 49.
(c)(1)In the case of a release or threatened release from a vessel, any claim authorized by section 9607 or 9611 of this title may be asserted directly against any guarantor providing evidence of financial responsibility for such vessel under subsection (a). In defending such a claim, the guarantor may invoke all rights and defenses which would be available to the owner or operator under this subchapter. The guarantor may also invoke the defense that the incident was caused by the willful misconduct of the owner or operator, but the guarantor may not invoke any other defense that the guarantor might have been entitled to invoke in a proceeding brought by the owner or operator against him.
(2)In the case of a release or threatened release from a facility, any claim authorized by section 9607 or 9611 of this title may be asserted directly against any guarantor providing evidence of financial responsibility for such facility under subsection (b), if the person liable under section 9607 of this title is in bankruptcy, reorganization, or arrangement pursuant to the Federal Bankruptcy Code, or if, with reasonable diligence, jurisdiction in the Federal courts cannot be obtained over a person liable under section 9607 of this title who is likely to be solvent at the time of judgment. In the case of any action pursuant to this paragraph, the guarantor shall be entitled to invoke all rights and defenses which would have been available to the person liable under section 9607 of this title if any action had been brought against such person by the claimant and all rights and defenses which would have been available to the guarantor if an action had been brought against the guarantor by such person.
(d)(1)The total liability of any guarantor in a direct action suit brought under this section shall be limited to the aggregate amount of the monetary limits of the policy of insurance, guarantee, surety bond, letter of credit, or similar instrument obtained from the guarantor by the person subject to liability under section 9607 of this title for the purpose of satisfying the requirement for evidence of financial responsibility.
(2)Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit any other State or Federal statutory, contractual, or common law liability of a guarantor, including, but not limited to, the liability of such guarantor for bad faith either in negotiating or in failing to negotiate the settlement of any claim. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed, interpreted, or applied to diminish the liability of any person under section 9607 of this title or other applicable law.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Solid Waste Disposal Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is title II of Pub. L. 89–272, Oct. 20, 1965, 79 Stat. 997, as amended generally by Pub. L. 94–580, § 2, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2795. Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act is classified generally to subchapter III (§ 6921 et seq.) of chapter 82 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 6901 of this title and Tables. This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), (5), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 96–510, Dec. 11, 1980, 94 Stat. 2767, known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 9601 of this title and Tables. The Federal Bankruptcy Code, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), probably means a reference to Title 11, Bankruptcy. Codification In subsec. (a)(2), “section 60105 of title 46” substituted for “section 4197 of the Revised Statutes of the United States” on authority of Pub. L. 109–304, § 18(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1709, which Act enacted section 60105 of Title 46, Shipping. In subsec. (b)(5), “section 31139 of title 49” substituted for “section 30 of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, Public Law 96–296” on authority of Pub. L. 103–272, § 6(b), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1378, the first section of which enacted subtitles II, III, and V to X of Title 49, Transportation.
Amendments
1986—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 99–499, § 127(c)(1), inserted “to cover the liability prescribed under paragraph (1) of section 9607(a) of this title” after “whichever is greater)”. Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 99–499, § 127(c)(2), added par. (4). Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 99–499, § 108(a), inserted provisions relating to evidence of financial responsibility and authority of the President regarding establishment of that evidence. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 99–499, § 108(b), substituted “as quickly as can reasonably be achieved but in no event more than 4 years” for “over a period of not less than three and no more than six years”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–499, § 108(c), amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: “Any claim authorized by section 9607 or 9611 of this title may be asserted directly against any guarantor providing evidence of financial responsibility as required under this section. In defending such a claim, the guarantor may invoke all rights and defenses which would be available to the owner or operator under this subchapter. The guarantor may also invoke the defense that the incident was caused by the willful misconduct of the owner or operator, but such guarantor may not invoke any other defense that such guarantor might have been entitled to invoke in a proceeding brought by the owner or operator against him.” Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99–499, § 108(c), amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: “Any guarantor acting in good faith against which claims under this chapter are asserted as a guarantor shall be liable under section 9607 of this title or section 9612(c) of this title only up to the monetary limits of the policy of insurance or indemnity contract such guarantor has undertaken or of the guaranty of other evidence of financial responsibility furnished under this section, and only to the extent that liability is not excluded by restrictive endorsement: Provided, That this subsection shall not alter the liability of any person under section 9607 of this title.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 9608
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73