The purpose of this article is twofold. First, the article will survey the existing laws of the United States as they pertain to oil pollution liability and compensation, and payment for cleanup costs. Second, the article will examine the efforts underway, domestically and internationally, that are intended to increase uniformity in the law pertaining to these aspects of oil pollution. This article is not intended to be an exhaustive analysis of the existing federal and state laws providing remedies for pollution damage, as these have previously been examined in detail by others.1 Rather, it is intended to show that the existing legal framework is so unsatisfactory as to compel the consideration of other options and that other options offering benefits to all affected parties exist.