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Article: Ship's pilot charged in San Francisco Bay bridge oil spill
- Article from:
- Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
- Article date:
- March 18, 2008
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Copyright informationCopyright 2008 Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The pilot of a ship that spilled thousands
of gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay in November was charged by
federal prosecutors Monday with criminal negligence and breaking
environmental laws.
Capt. John Cota faces as many 18 months in jail and more than
$100,000 in fines if convicted of the misdemeanor charges, including
harming migrant birds protected by the government and violating the
Clean Water Act. Cota was not taken into custody, according to court
papers.
He was at the helm of the container ship Cosco Busan when it
struck a fender protecting a support tower beneath the San Francisco-
Oakland Bay Bridge on its way to South Korea on Nov. 7. The ship
emptied ...