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"This accident, which has devastated our environment and forced hundreds of fishermen and lobstermen out of work, may have been prevented if the proper licensing and inspection procedures were in place," Kennedy said in a joint news release with Reed.

The two Democrats spelled out three specific initiatives in their legislation:

-- Tugs and other towing vessels would have to carry more fire safety equipment than federal law now requires, plus radar, a sonar depth finder, up-to-date navigational charts and other equipment.

-- Tugs would have to have aboard an operator licensed by the U.S. secretary of transportation, who would set proficiency testing and other licensing standards for tugboat masters and operators.

-- The Coast Guard would have to conduct regular inspections of the vessels, which are now inspected only by "tugboat industry members," according to the congressmen.

A fire aboard the Scandia, which was towing the barge from New York City to Providence, forced the crew to abandon ship in a heavy storm on Jan. 19. The tug and the barge, carrying 4 million gallons of oil, were blown ashore by high winds.

"Had we had an inspection policy in place we would have reduced the probability of the accident," Reed said.

If fire-suppression equipment that would be mandated under the bill had been on the Scandia, Kennedy said, its crew might not have had to leave the ship.

It's not clear how the Reed-Kennedy bill will fare under the current Republican leadership of the House.

"This is not just a question of environmental laws that don't help business," Reed said. "There are a lot of business people that are suffering because of this incident."

Kennedy acknowledged that the Coast Guard already has the power to put in place many of the bill's provisions, but said he hoped passage of the legislation would spur such implementation.

A spokesman for Sen. John Chafee said it might be better to let the Coast Guard execute new rules.

With Associated Press reports.