WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Interior Department on Tuesday said Congress should increase fines and prison sentences for individuals and energy companies violating federal laws covering offshore oil development.
Since the law was enacted in 1978, the criminal penalty has remained unchanged with no more than a $100,000 per day fine or imprisonment up to 10 years.
"We believe it is appropriate to consider thoughtful increases in the amount of both civil and criminal penalties," U.S. Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes told a Senate committee during a hearing on the growing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
