B.C. government bringing in tougher laws for spill response and preparedness

British Columbia's environment minister says the province is bringing in new penalties for spills and stronger rules governing cleanups.

Mary Polak says amendments to the Environmental Management Act would also seek to establish a new spill preparedness and response system to tackle environmental emergencies.

She says the amendments on oil spill response, prevention and recovery address one of the province's five conditions for its support of oil pipelines.

The amendments are being made after the government consulted with industry, First Nations and others.

Polak says the amendments are still subject to review, which will include looking at other jurisdictions, such as Alaska's program to escort oil tankers through Prince William Sound, the site of the Exxon Valdez disaster almost 30 years ago.