Developing Epa's Core Oil Spill Program

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 369-372
Author(s):  
Dennisses Valdes ◽  
Dana Stalcup ◽  
Wendy Christopherson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hazardous Substance ◽  
Program Effort ◽  
Industry Culture ◽  
Major Pipeline ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT The purpose of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Core Oil Spill Program effort is to help define core or fundamental Oil Spill Program activities nationwide to ensure that EPA maintains a well-trained, dedicated staff with the necessary resources to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil and hazardous substance incidents the threaten the waters of the United States. It is especially important that sound oil spill programs are in place in all EPA regions and headquarters to adequately address the changing industry culture and to prevent future disasters comparable to the Ashland tank collapse, the Exxon Valdez spill, and recent major pipeline spills. Emphasis on these core activities should help the regional oil spill programs prioritize activities in an era of reduced funding for EPA's Oil Spill Program and aging oil industry infrastructure.

THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: NATIONAL OIL AND HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN, SUBPART J PRODUCT SCHEDULE (40 CFR 300.900)

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1479-1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Contingency Plan ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan Final Rule, Subpart J Product Schedule (40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 300.900), which lists dispersants, surface-washing agents (SWAs), bioremediation agents, surface-collecting agents, and miscellaneous oil spill control agents that may be used in response to oil spills on land and on or near waters of the United States, depending on the product and its proper application. Over the last few years, alternative oil spill response methods have been gaining in acceptance and use in the field among first responders, industry, state and federal agencies, Congress, and the entire oil spill response community. EPA sets policy and guidance for the proper use and authority to use these products. Manufacturers and vendors of these products have become more aware of this acceptance evidenced by the frequency that EPA is contacted to provide information on the listing process and EPA policy regarding their use. The number of applications to add new products to the Subpart J Product Schedule has increased over the last year. Subpart J is very prescriptive and specific in directing manufacturers to perform the proper test within the proper protocols, yet many applications are rejected or need modification because of errors in testing procedures or data reporting. This paper will address the data needed to list a product under each category and will clarify issues related to the Product Schedule. It will also address the policies that EPA uses to enforce the Subpart J regulation. The author has managed the Product Schedule for over 3 years, and his experience and expertise regarding the issues surrounding alternative countermeasures will be covered as well. Dispersants, SWAs, chemical sorbents, and other technologies have sparked controversy and confusion in all regions and areas of the United States, and in some cases internationally. Many research efforts have added to the baseline knowledge we have about dispersants and bioremediation agents' toxicity, efficacy, and proper use, but conflicts still arise as that data is interpreted and applied in the field. The reader will have a better understanding of why and how alternative countermeasures are required to be listed and describe the authority to use them based on EPA policy.

THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF OIL SPILL FINGERPRINTING1

1979 ◽  
Vol 1979 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Alan P. Bentz ◽  
Stanley L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Identification System ◽  
Court Cases ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Oil Spill Identification ◽  
Civil Penalty

ABSTRACT In several recent court cases, evidence of an oil “fingerprint” has been used to identify the source of an oil spill. As a result, those responsible for the spill have been required to pay a civil penalty and to reimburse the United States for the cost of cleaning up the oil. The use of such evidence in court supports the conclusion that the U.S. Coast Guard's oil spill identification system is both scientifically and legally sound.

Notes from the Editors, June 2020

2020 ◽  
pp. c2-63
Author(s):  
The Editors
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
The World ◽  
The U.S

buy this issue The current massive oil glut is the product of the effects of the tight oil or shale oil revolution, which for a time turned the United States into the biggest oil and gas producer in the world. Now, suddenly as a result of an overproduction of world oil, made far worse by the sudden falloff in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing the possible euthanasia of the U.S. tight oil industry, bleeding cash even before the oil price collapse and encumbered with mountains of debt.

JOINT MEXICO-UNITED STATES OIL SPILL RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS TRAINING ACTIVITIES

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 711-714
Author(s):  
Heather A. Parker-Hall ◽  
Timothy P. Holmes ◽  
Norma A. Hernandez Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Joint Training ◽  
Response Team ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Exercise and evaluation of the Pacific Annex of the Joint Contingency Plan Between the United Mexican States and the United States of America Regarding Pollution of the Marine Environment by Discharges of Hydrocarbons or Other Hazardous Substances (MEXUSPLAN) uncovered a significant need for joint training between spill responders, planners, decision-makers and stakeholders on both sides of our border. Sponsored by U.S. Coast Guard District 11 (USCG Dll) and the Second Mexican Naval Zone (ZN2), a series of training sessions were held for Mexican officials from the Northern Baja California region and Mexico City in early 2003. The first of these well-attended sessions was held in two locations: San Diego, CA and Ensenada, Mexico in February 2003. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hazmat facilitated the first session, the Joint Mexico-United States Oil Spill Science Forum. It provided a scientific view of oil spills. The following joint session facilitated by USCG Dll and held in Ensenada was a tabletop exercise designed in preparation for the signing of the MEXUSPAC Annex. Through the use of a spill drill scenario, this session included instruction and dialogue about the roles and responsibilities of both U.S. and Mexican spill responders. Both sessions included presentations from several agencies of the Regional Response Team IX/Joint Response Team: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of the Interior and California's Office of Spill Prevention and Response. Industry partners also contributed topics of discussion, further complementing the U.S. response landscape. Mexican response agencies, including PEMEX, SAGARPA, SEMARNAT and PROFEPA, provided valuable input ensuring dialogue helping to identify additional joint response gaps. Upon the most significant gaps brought to light was the need for additional information regarding dispersant use by Mexican agencies, particularly in light of the approaching international SONS Exercise in April 2004. To this end, USCG Dll and NOAA HAZMAT developed and presented a modified Ecological Risk Assessment for their Mexican counterparts. Hosted by ZN2 in October 2003, this highly successful workshop brought together many key decision makers, planners and stakeholders from both sides of the border to discuss tradeoffs inherent in the use of existing spill response tools, including dispersants. Joint training and discussion sessions such as these are key to ensuring any measure of success in a joint spill response. Several additional training and discussion topics designed for the Mexican-U.S. joint response forum have been identified with many in the planning phase. Acknowledging the similarities as well as differences in response systems of our two nations' is essential to the success of these joint collaborations. Such continued efforts will help bridge existing gaps.

scholarly journals The Marine Salvage Industry: Proven in Preventing Oil Spills

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
pp. 684710
Author(s):  
Jim Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
New Policies ◽  
The U.S

Abstract The marine salvage industry plays a vital role in protecting the marine environment. Governments, industry and the public, worldwide, now place environmental protection as the driving objective, second only to the safety of life, during a marine casualty response operation. Recognizing over 20 years after the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that the effectiveness of mechanical on-water oil recovery remains at only about 10 to 25 percent while the international salvage industry annually prevents over a million tons of pollutants from reaching the world's oceans, ten years ago the United States began implementing a series of comprehensive salvage and marine firefighting regulations in an effort to improve the nation's environmental protection regime. These regulations specify desired response timeframes for emergency salvage services, contractual requirements, and criteria for evaluating the adequacy of a salvage and marine firefighting service provider. In addition to this effort to prevent surface oil spills, in 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard also recognized the salvage industries advancements in removing oil from sunken ships and recovering submerged pollutants, issuing Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) classification standards for companies that have the capabilities to effectively respond to non-floating oils. Ten years after the implementation of the U.S. salvage and marine firefighting regulatory framework, this paper will review the implementation of the U.S. salvage and marine firefighting regulations and non-floating oil detection and recovery requirements; analyze the impacts and effectiveness of these new policies; and present several case studies and recommendations to further enhance salvage and oil spill response effectiveness.

VESSEL LIABILITY AND FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE U.S. COASTAL STATES

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-260
Author(s):  
Amy M. Stolls
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Responsibility ◽  
Coastal State ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Federal Laws ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Laws And Regulations

ABSTRACT Vessel owners and operators doing business in the United States know by now that simply complying with federal laws and regulations is not enough. Though some states have enacted legislation similar to the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990, others have their own approach to environmental protection. This paper reviews the patchwork of U.S. coastal state requirements with regard to vessel liability and financial responsibility.

scholarly journals Building bridges in the post-Trump era: can conservation scientists help recover bipartisan support for U.S. environmental protection?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kurz ◽  
Arthur D. Middleton ◽  
Melissa Chapman ◽  
Kyle Schuyler Van Houtan ◽  
Christine Wilkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
The U.S

Nearly three-fourths of U.S. citizens support strong environmental protection, yet the U.S. Congress has passed little momentous environmental legislation since 1980. This dearth of new bipartisan environmental policy has coincided with increasing political polarization, which has risen to historic levels in the United States. Though broadly supported by the U.S. public, environmental protection has wavered as the Trump administration has left the Paris Climate Agreement, lifted oil and gas regulations, and deprioritized endangered species conservation. This discordance between U.S. public opinion and policy action leads us to ask: How did environmental conservation become so polarized, and how can the U.S. environmental movement recover broad bipartisan support? As conservation scientists in academia, we believe our community has contributed to the partisan breakdown over the environment. We also believe that scientists have a critical role to play in bridging this divide. In this essay, we consider how “the environment” has become a political wedge issue in the United States and identify opportunities for conservation scientists to: (a) better respond to public needs and values; and (b) build support for bipartisan conservation policies through greater proximity with local communities, re-structured academic advancement policies, and 21st century approaches to training environmental science students.

THE VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS: EVALUATING EFFECTS OF OIL DISCHARGES ON THE ENVIRONMENT

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 971-972
Author(s):  
Bobbie Lively-Diebold ◽  
Susan M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Vulnerability Analysis ◽  
Hazardous Substance ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Response Plan ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Various components make up a vulnerability analysis of the potential effects of an oil discharge or a release of a hazardous substance on the environment. Although the process used in the oil spill vulnerability analysis would be appropriate for other planning purposes, this particular analysis is an element of the OPA 90 response plan that the owner or operator of a “substantial harm” facility must prepare and submit to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Exxon Oil Spill Technology Advances from the Valdez Cleanup

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-362
Author(s):  
Richard R. Lessard ◽  
Gregory DeMarco ◽  
Roger C. Prince ◽  
Robert J. Fiocco ◽  
Jerry Canevari
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
International Research ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Response Effort ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. It triggered a massive cleanup and accelerated major changes to the U.S. structure for combating oil spills. It also led to a number of successful new programs within Exxon and industry aimed at reducing incidents, minimizing spillage of oil worldwide, and improving the capability to respond in the event of a spill. Exxon's response effort is widely acknowledged as the largest peacetime industrial mobilization ever in the United States and possibly in the world. Exxon immediately accepted responsibility and committed resources and personnel to clean up the environment affected by the spill The Valdez spill is the most studied ever. The cleanup involved the use of technology not previously applied to large spills. Many of these applications are now the subject of ongoing international research programs aimed at improving the ability to respond. This paper, written by several Exxon scientists who conducted technical studies in support of the cleanup, summarizes many of the technical learnings and advances that came out of the spill, and subsequent research studies with emphasis on how these apply to today's spills. This paper discusses only the response and cleanup. Exxon also initiated a number of programs to mitigate impacts on people, communities and wildlife affected by the spill.

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