THE OSRO CLASSIFICATION PROGRAM: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 453-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
CDR Robert A. Van Zandt
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
National Response ◽  
Resource Inventory ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Response Plan

ABSTRACT The Coast Guard's oil spill removal organization (OSRO) classification process underwent significant revision in late 1995. The revision was necessary to strengthen the program into a more credible and useful tool for facilitating preparation and review of vessel and facility response plans. The revised process is more closely linked to the response planning criteria that vessel and facility owners and operators are required to meet under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. As a result, the process provides a better indication of an OSRO's capacity and potential to respond to and recover oil spills of various sizes. Data provided by each OSRO are being included in the computer-based national Response Resource Inventory (RRI). The paper describes the important features and limitations of the revised classification process and gives an interpretation of what the new classifications mean to response plan holders and reviewers. It also describes the method by which plan holders can use the computer-based RRI as a tool to conduct their own analysis of an OSRO's capacity to meet their specific planning requirements.

Estimating the Cumulative Cost of OPA 90 to Private Industry

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-265
Author(s):  
Edward J. Maillett ◽  
Gary A. Yoshioka
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Discounted Cost ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Cumulative Cost ◽  
The Cost

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to estimate the cumulative cost incurred by private industry as a result of the various regulations enacted under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) and to compare these costs against the estimated effectiveness of the program in terms of avoided future oil spills. The authors reviewed Federal Register announcements of federal agency rulemakings to identify estimated costs to industry and to determine if reported costs are one-time occurrences for capital-related expenditures or represent annual estimates for repeated activities. The authors then estimated the total costs of each rulemaking through the year 2015. The costs of regulations implemented under OPA 90 that impact the private sector range from zero to $3.5 billion in discounted dollars. Based on these individual government estimates for each OPA 90 regulation, the authors estimate the discounted cost to industry to comply with all of the OPA 90 requirements to be $12.1 billion, the largest portion of which affects the marine vessel industry. Total benefits of the rulemakings are estimated to exceed 3.6 million barrels of avoided oil spills through the year 2015. Over one-half of this benefit estimate results from the facility response planning requirements for non-transportation-related on-shore facilities and pipelines. The cost effectiveness of regulations implemented under OPA 90 ranges between several hundred dollars to over $26,000 per barrel of avoided oil spill.

CALIFORNIA'S GNOME TRAJECTORY INITIATIVE TO DETERMINE BEST ACHIEVABLE PROTECTION FOR SENSITIVE SHORELINE RESOURCES FROM VESSEL OIL SPILLS

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-165
Author(s):  
Carl Jochums ◽  
Glen Watabyashi ◽  
Heather Parker-Hall
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Objective Standard ◽  
Shoreline Protection

ABSTRACT California has initiated a new approach to create an objective standard and regulate best achievable protection (BAP) for sensitive shoreline protection from vessel spills. The Oil Pollution Act (OPA 90) and California's Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (SB 2040) mandate BAP as the standard for preparedness and response. BAP poses the critical response planning questions: “How much response resources should industry provide?” and “In what timeframes should those resources be deployed?” Prior California regulations intended to achieve BAP by relying on vessels to identify hazards, trajectories, environmental consequences, and response resource plans, produced less than optimal results in many instances. Though effective in theory, this approach resulted in fuzzy consequences and vague arrangements for adequate response. Because it was neither clear what sites would be protected (and what response resources would be required) nor at what time, and because it was consequentially not clear what response resources would be engaged to execute protection, drilling C-plans became obtuse. This in turn fostered “paper tiger” OSROs and resulted in an uneven playing field for business competitors. In Californias new approach, OSPR used many of the original concepts to identify BAP by using the NOAA GNOME oil spill model for generic vessel risk threats for California ports and along the California coast. This paper explains the theory, steps, and details. As a result of this process, BAP has been defined in terms of specific site deployments at specific time intervals and presented in tables in regulation. This new approach provides a number of benefits and solutions to the difficult issues in the former approach, including a standard for BAP.

Integrated Vessel Response Plan Format

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 635-638
Author(s):  
William C. Rogers ◽  
Jean R. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Vessel Response ◽  
Response Plan ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Oil shipping companies operating on the West Coast of the United States are subject to international, federal, and state oil spill prevention and response planning regulations. Many companies wrote separate plans for each jurisdiction with the result that tank vessels carried several different plans on board and parent companies faced an administrative burden in keeping plans current. In June 1996, oil shipping company representatives proposed that the States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force work with them to develop a format incorporating West Coast states' and U.S. Coast Guard contingency planning requirements. A workgroup comprised of representatives of the Task Force, industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard, working cooperatively, eventually proposed a voluntary integrated plan format based on the key elements of the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Response Plan. This format allowed correlation with state planning requirements as well as with the Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) required by international regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, and all West Coast states have subsequently documented their agreement to accept vessel plans in this format, to coordinate review as needed, and to allow references to public documents such as Area Plans.

MANAGING MULTIPLE OIL SPILLS FROM A NATURAL DISASTER: THE KATRINA OIL SPILL RESPONSES

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 1219-1223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Cantin ◽  
Roger Laferriere ◽  
Larry Hewett ◽  
Charlie Henry
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Response Options ◽  
National Response ◽  
Response Plan

ABSTRACT Every nation faces the possibility of a major natural disaster and few plans are in place to deal with the massive consequences that follow. When Hurricane Katrina reached landfall, the human toll and extent of damage made it the worst natural disaster in American history. The news headlines were filled with the images of desperation and the efforts of the thousands of heroes across the spectrum of government who worked tirelessly to help the citizens of the Gulf Coast of the United States recover. Less visible to the American public was the vast environmental impact caused by millions of gallons of oil released by hundreds of individual oil spills. The total oil volume lost to the environment is estimated at over 8.2 million gallons, making it the second largest oil spill in United States history. Moreover, this spill was the first major environmental disaster managed under the newly published National Response Plan, a plan developed following the tragic events of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This paper will describe how response managers overcame the incredible challenges of managing multiple oil spills in an enormous area devoid of the support infrastructure, human resources and the logistics network normally present in major spills within the United States. The authors will offer a first hand account of the strategies employed by the response management system assembled to combat the spills. They will describe key lessons learned in overcoming competition for critical resources; the importance of combining scientific, legal and other support in determining response options such as burning and debris removal; and the methodology employed in creating a Unified Area Command that included multiple responsible parties. Finally, this paper will provide insights to processes within the Joint Field Office, an element of the National Response Plan, and how well it performed in supporting response efforts.

VESSEL RESPONSE PLANS: A TILE IN THE MOSAIC OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM1

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 926-926
Author(s):  
Duane Michael Smith
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Response System ◽  
National Response ◽  
Vessel Response ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT With the implementation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 came the requirement for vessels to develop plans for responding to oil spills from their vessels. While some companies had such plans in the past, the National Response System did not formally recognize their existence. Individual vessel response plans must now be viewed as an integral part of the National Response System. All of the parties that could be involved in an oil spill response must begin to view themselves as one tile of many that make up the mosaic known as the National Response System.

The Oil Pollution act of 1990: Key Provisions and Implications

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 695-697
Author(s):  
David M. Bovet ◽  
Charles R. Corbett
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Financial Responsibility ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Oil Transportation ◽  
National Response ◽  
New Construction

ABSTRACT The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes a system of oil spill liability, compensation and financial responsibility at levels not contemplated prior to the Exxon Valdez incident. Furthermore, it does so while preserving states’ prerogatives and rejects the international solution embodied in the 1984 Protocols to the 1969 Civil Liability and 1971 Fund Conventions. The act requires new contingency planning by both industry and government and sets new construction, manning, and licensing requirements. It increases penalties, broadens enforcement responsibilities of the federal government, and enhances states’ participation in the national response program. It also establishes a billion dollar federal trust fund to supplement the liability of responsible parties. The act is likely to result in safer tanker operations and to reduce the threat of oil spills in U.S. waters. These environmental improvements will be paid for by U.S. oil consumers. Other implications include the following:Reassessment of involvement in U.S. oil transportation by both independents and oil majorsEnhanced preparedness by responsible partiesA gradual rise in freight ratesCorporate restructuring to shield liabilityFewer small oil companies and independent carriers in U.S. tradesPotential disruptions linked to new certificates of financial responsibilityPotential shortages of Alaskan trade tonnageHeightened presence of state governments in oil spill incidents, oil spill legislation, and enforcement

An Assessment of the Increasing Risk of Marine Oil Spills and the Existing Preparedness Capabilities in the Southeast Asian Region

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 856-868
Author(s):  
Geeva Varghese
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Asian Region ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Exploration And Production

ABSTRACT A rapidly growing economy has pushed the energy demands and has significantly increased the exploration and production activities as well as the shipping traffic over recent years in the Southeast Asian Region. Since the introduction of offshore exploration and production in the 1960's, Southeast Asia has gone through a remarkable transition from an onshore to an offshore focused region with more than 80% of oil production coming from offshore fields in 2011. Also the region has recently moved into deepwater exploration and production activities which now makes up more than 10% of the offshore production. With the rising production volumes, the transport of oil products has continuously increased both in volume and in number of ships used. This trend is expected to grow further with the investment in new refinery capacity of several Southeast Asian countries. All these factors have significantly contributed to the increased risk of marine spill incidents in the region. An increased risk of oil spills necessitates an increase in the capability to respond and manage major oil spill incidents. Even though the Southeast Asian region has made some notable progress over the past few decades in terms of oil spill preparedness and response, the region's capabilities are arguably less mature compared to other parts of the world. Most of the countries in the region have been successful in establishing the elements of preparedness advocated by the OPRC (International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness Response and Cooperation) convention. But recent spill incidents and preparedness work in the region have revealed a need for greater collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders from oil, shipping and port industries, planning and preparing of major trans-boundary oil spill incidents and alignment of oil spill preparedness and response system of a country from the national to provincial level. This paper examines the increasing risks of oil spills from the growing vessel traffic and exploration and production activities in Southeast Asia against the current level of preparedness in the region. In doing so, the author will share the experience gained from working on various oil spill response planning and preparedness projects with the Governments and industry in the region with lessons learned, current developments and recommendation for improvements.

Comparing Oil Spill Rates Using Different Data Sources1

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 861-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Stalcup ◽  
Gary Yoshioka ◽  
Elizabeth Black ◽  
Madelyn Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Online Database ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
National Response ◽  
Planning Methods ◽  
Different Sources

ABSTRACT Different sources of data on past oil spill incidents contain different kinds of information about each incident and different degrees of accuracy. The appropriate data can be used to develop spill statistics and spill rate relationships. This paper examines data on reported oil spills that have occurred in the United States. Characteristics studied include the number of spills, spill sizes, spill sources, and the types of oil spilled. Studying characteristics of past spills can help government and industry to determine the scope of oil spill prevention policies and response planning methods. The main data sources used for this paper include the Oil Spill Intelligence Report's International Oil Spill Statistics annual summaries and the National Response Center online database. This report provides a discussion of the accuracy of information from sources of oil spill data, to help support the development of spill statistics and spill rate relationships.

scholarly journals Characterization of microbial response to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in a lacustrine ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio D’Ugo ◽  
Milena Bruno ◽  
Arghya Mukherjee ◽  
Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay ◽  
Roberto Giuseppetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Petroleum Hydrocarbon ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Hydrocarbon Contamination ◽  
Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination ◽  
Microbial Response ◽  
Pollution Event ◽  
Hydrocarbonoclastic Potential

AbstractMicrobiomes of freshwater basins intended for human use remain poorly studied, with very little known about the microbial response to in situ oil spills. Lake Pertusillo is an artificial freshwater reservoir in Basilicata, Italy, and serves as the primary source of drinking water for more than one and a half million people in the region. Notably, it is located in close proximity to one of the largest oil extraction plants in Europe. The lake suffered a major oil spill in 2017, where approximately 400 tons of crude oil spilled into the lake; importantly, the pollution event provided a rare opportunity to study how the lacustrine microbiome responds to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. Water samples were collected from Lake Pertusillo 10 months prior to and 3 months after the accident. The presence of hydrocarbons was verified and the taxonomic and functional aspects of the lake microbiome were assessed. The analysis revealed specialized successional patterns of lake microbial communities that were potentially capable of degrading complex, recalcitrant hydrocarbons, including aromatic, chloroaromatic, nitroaromatic, and sulfur containing aromatic hydrocarbons. Our findings indicated that changes in the freshwater microbial community were associated with the oil pollution event, where microbial patterns identified in the lacustrine microbiome 3 months after the oil spill were representative of its hydrocarbonoclastic potential and may serve as effective proxies for lacustrine oil pollution.

Analyses of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Intertidal Sediments Resulting from Two Spills of No. 2 Fuel Oil in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 510-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Teal ◽  
Kathryn Burns ◽  
John Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Glass Capillary ◽  
Marsh Sediments ◽  
Insight Into

We have analyzed the two- and three-ring aromatic hydrocarbons from the Wild Harbor oil spill in September 1969 and the Winsor Cove oil spill in October 1974, in intertidal marsh sediments, using glass capillary gas-chromatographic and mass-fragmentographic analyses. Naphthalenes with 0–3 alkyl substitutions and phenanthrenes with 0–2 substitutions decreased in concentration with time in surface sediments. The more substituted aromatics decreased relatively less and in some cases actually increased in absolute concentration. The changes in composition of the aromatic fraction have potential consequences for the ecosystem and provide insight into geochemical processes of oil weathering. Key words: oil pollution, aromatic hydrocarbons; gas chromatography; gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; geochemistry; marsh; sediments; oil spills

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