The pilot of the Cosco Busan cargo ship that sideswiped the Bay Bridge and spilled more than 50,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay was hit today with rare federal criminal charges for violating environmental laws.

In court documents filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, prosecutors charged John Joseph Cota with misdemeanor violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, alleging that his negligence caused the Nov. 7, 2007 collision and oil spill. The government alleges Cota triggered the mishap by failing to steer a "collision free course," as well as failed to use the ship's radar and adequately consult with the captain and crew.

Prosecutors cited the fact that the oil discharge has been linked to the death of about 2,000 birds, including two endangered species under either federal or California law - the brown pelican and the marbled murrelet.

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