Beyond Thresholds: A Holistic Approach to Impact Assessment Is Needed to Enable Accurate Predictions of Environmental Risk from Oil Spills

ABSTRACT Oil spills are one of the major concerns associated with oil and gas development along the outer continental shelf. The U.S. Department of the Interior is presently planning lease sales at the rate of seven per year. Many of these leases are being proposed in areas where the risks associated with oil spills are difficult to assess. The major objective of the decisionmakers in this process is to select a leasing plan from the list of proposed blocks that will offer the maximum production potential within an acceptable level of environmental risk. This objective can be obtained with proper contingency planning which should include site-specific designs. A proposed leasing plan could be limited in its production potential by the habitats more vunerable to a potential oil spill. These areas are identified using a model system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. In this model, the local meteorology and physical oceanography are coupled to produce trajectories of hypothetical oil spills. These trajectories, along with oil resource estimates, are used to establish overall probabilities of an oil spill contacting specific coastal areas and habitats. Using linear programming techniques, the blocks that can yield the maximum resource recovery within specified limits of environmental risk are identified. Site-specific contingency measures (such as stockpiles of cleanup equipment) concentrated at the more vulnerable habitats will allow the decisionmaker to accept a higher level of environmental risk and significantly increase the number of blocks that are suitable for leasing. A proposed lease sale area for the northeast Gulf of Alaska is used to demonstrate the importance of contingency planning in determining various levels of offshore oil and gas resource development.

Download Full-text

Towards Environmental Risk Acceptance Criteria

Volume 2: Structures, Safety and Reliability ◽

10.1115/omae2008-57257 ◽

2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pierre C. Sames ◽

Rainer Hamann

Keyword(s):

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Risk Evaluation ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Human Life ◽

Evaluation Criteria ◽

Maritime Industry ◽

Formal Safety Assessment ◽

Societal Risk ◽

Risk Acceptance

Risk evaluation criteria related to safety of human life have been available in the maritime industry for some time. However, only recently these criteria became formally accepted by including the CAF and ALARP-boundaries into the Formal Safety Assessment guidelines of the IMO. Risk evaluation criteria related to the protection of the environment are not yet agreed. A proposal for a cost effectiveness criterion related to accidental oil spills called CATS was suggested by the project SAFEDOR. However, a societal risk acceptance of environmental damages from shipping is not yet proposed. And, to effectively apply a cost-effectiveness criterion related to environmental protection, societal risk acceptance and the associated ALARP area need to be defined. To contribute to the ongoing discussion on environmental risk evaluation criteria, this paper presents a societal risk acceptance criterion related to oil spills of tankers which can be used within risk-based ship design and approval as well as for rule-making. The presented work adds to SAFEDOR’s contribution to risk evaluation criteria for the maritime transport in providing an ALARP area for risk assessment of oil transport by tankers. The paper first presents the current state of oil transportation by tankers and continues with providing suggestions how the ALARP boundaries may be derived in this context.

Download Full-text

Social Impact Assessment in the Cooperative Extension System: Revitalizing the Community Capitals Framework in Measurement and Approach

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education ◽

10.5191/jiaee.2019.26206 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 75-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Abigail Borron ◽

Kevan Lamm ◽

Carolina Darbisi ◽

Nekeisha Randall

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Social Impact ◽

Cooperative Extension ◽

Program Planning ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Social Impact Assessment ◽

Program Impact ◽

Proposed Model ◽

And Shifts

Measuring program impact is continually placed in the forefront of discussions, efforts, and reporting when it comes to outreach and engagement efforts related to Cooperative Extension. However, the diversity of programs represented through program areas, as well as the complexities of local infrastructures present ongoing challenges to effectively addressing needs in community development and vitality. One of the greater hurdles in these efforts is addressing areas of social impact. This article argues for a deliberate attempt to parse out efforts that address social impact, while looking for ways to bring such impact full circle with existing efforts in economic impact. This article answers the following questions: (1) How is program impact defined as it relates to the land-grant university? and (2) How is social impact defined, and what are the common approaches to examining/measuring social impact? Based on this review of the literature, we describe and justify a proposed model approach for overall community diagnostics, directly supporting social impact assessment efforts. Such a proposed model would then have the capacity to lead to two very distinct and applicable outcomes that ultimately lead to measuring and examining program impact. The first is an immediate snapshot of a given community for diagnostic purposes; and the second would create a framework by which longitudinal data could be collected, which can then demonstrate changes and shifts over time. Such data can then provide a more holistic approach to program planning, development, and overall evaluation. Keywords: community development; Extension; needs assessment; program evaluation; social impact

Download Full-text

How to assess the impact of commercially reused immovable cultural heritage on local, sustainable development in a holistic way?

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1108/jchmsd-07-2019-0089 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Zdzisława Elżbieta Niemczewska

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Cultural Development ◽

Content Type ◽

Cultural Sustainability ◽

The Impact ◽

Local Sustainable Development

PurposeThe paper is to propose a tool for holistic impact assessment of commercially reused immovable cultural heritage resources on local, sustainable development along with the possibility to ensure the cultural sustainability of these assets themselves. The paper contains a case study using the proposed tool. The case study concerns a historic object in the form of a Polish manor house located in rural areas in Poland adapted for commercial purposes – restaurant, painting gallery and renovation of antique furniture.Design/methodology/approachThe author proposes a holistic approach based on aspects, to impact assessment of given heritage resources on the economic, social, cultural and environmental pillars of sustainable development and the sustainable use of heritage assets themselves. Above that, the approach proposes to use the assumptions of EMAS or ISO 14001 systems for assessment of environmental aspects in case of reused cultural heritage assets.FindingsThe test study showed that the proposed tool allows determining whether, how and to what extent the contemporary commercial function of a given element of immovable cultural heritage contributes to local sustainable development and whether and to what extent the cultural sustainability of a given cultural heritage is ensured.Research limitations/implicationsIn the proposed approach, very detailed quantitative data cannot be included because of the need to simplify the research.Practical implicationsThe proposed tool can be used by owners of reused historic buildings, local authorities, services responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and financing institutions to determine whether a given contemporary commercial function of cultural heritage resources contributes to local sustainable development in holistic approach and whether this function ensures the preservation of its cultural sustainability.Social implicationsThe use of the proposed tool will give the opportunity to take appropriate actions to increase the impact of historic objects on local sustainable development including social aspects. Moreover, it will be possible to increase the cultural sustainability of these objects.Originality/valueThere are not many studies and tools that provide a possibility to assess a holistic impact of reused cultural heritage on local sustainable development. Research usually concerns one or two pillars: social and economic. Above that, the study of the cultural appreciation in two different groups: direct users and the local community is a novelty in the perception of contribution to cultural development. It may contribute to the different way of measurement of appreciation of cultural heritage and its contribution to social and cultural development. In addition, to study the environmental pillar, the author proposes an approach used in environmental management (ISO 1400 and EMAS), i.e. the application of activities related to eliminating the potentially harmful impact of a new function of the historic resource on the natural environment.

Download Full-text

ERA Acute-Implementation of a New Method for Environmental Risk Assessment of Acute Offshore Oil Spills

10.2118/190540-ms ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jean-Marie Libre ◽

Christian Collin-Hansen ◽

Grethe Kjeilen-Eilertsen ◽

Tonje Waterloo Rogstad ◽

Cathrine Stephansen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Environmental Risk Assessment ◽

Oil Spills ◽

New Method ◽

Offshore Oil

Download Full-text

Resilience in Environmental Risk and Impact Assessment: Concepts and Measurement

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ◽

10.1007/s00128-018-2467-5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 101 (5) ◽

pp. 543-548 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

David G. Angeler ◽

Craig R. Allen ◽

Ahjond Garmestani ◽

Kevin L. Pope ◽

Dirac Twidwell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Impact Assessment ◽

Environmental Risk

Download Full-text

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL OIL AND CHEMICAL SPILL MODEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-61 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 1995 (1) ◽

pp. 61-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Mark Reed ◽

Henrik Rye

Keyword(s):

User Interface ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Water Column ◽

Graphical User Interface ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Comprehensive Model ◽

Simulation Results

ABSTRACT A comprehensive model of the dynamic, three-dimensional physical fates of contaminants in the marine environment has been developed. For oil spills, dissolution of aromatics from surface slicks and entrained oil droplets are the source of potential effects for biota in the water column. Oil on the surface and along shorelines provides the basis for evaluation of impacts on birds, marine mammals, and recreational activities. A graphical user interface couples the model to a variety of environmental databases and tools to facilitate specific applications and viewing of simulation results.

Download Full-text

OIL SPILL MODELING FOR CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND EXAMPLE APPLICATION FOR FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2001-2-873 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 2001 (2) ◽

pp. 873-881 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deborah P. French McCay ◽

Mark A. Jones ◽

Louis Coakley

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Current Data ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Start Time ◽

Worst Case

ABSTRACT Important questions that are asked by spill responders as well as those assessing potential impacts are: (I) What is the probability of oiling, above a threshold of concern, for each location near a potential spill site? (2) How soon will oil reach each site of concern? (3) How much oil contamination is expected (on average and worst case)? (4) Is there a potential for impacting biological resources with this oil? Using Applied Science Associates, Inc.'s (ASA) oil spill model (Spill Impact Assessment Package, SIMAP) in stochastic mode, these questions were evaluated for Florida Power & Light (FPL) for a variety of oil types and spill volumes, and for each of FPL's plants and terminals. The model was run many times, randomizing the start time over decade-long wind records. The model evaluates surface oil, shoreline oil, subsurface oil, and low molecular weight aromatics (the most toxic fraction of the oil). Both the mean and worst case exposure thickness/concentration are evaluated. The output includes contour maps, which may be interrogated (with the user interface) to determine the conditions under which worst case oiling occurs. The contours are overlaid on resource maps, showing where resources are most at risk and where protection would be most beneficial. FPL uses SIMAP for contingency planning, drills, spill response, and evaluation of fates and impacts of spills. ASA has developed databases for use in the model for the locations around each of FPL's plants and terminals. These data include shore and habitat type mapping, locations of sensitive resources, and current data sets generated by ASA's hydrodynamic model. The stochastic model may be used as a contingency planning tool or as a component of the ecological risk assessment process. It determines the range of distances and directions oil spills are likely to travel from a particular site, given wind and current data for the area. Practical uses for this information include the determination of which kinds of response equipment should be used in a particular area and where the equipment should be placed to be most effective, what areas are most at risk from possible spills at a specific location, and the expected magnitude of impacts.

Download Full-text