Oil tanker regulation: a state or Federal area

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979 · Nat. Resour. J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5765225

Muehlenweg, R

The Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA), while aimed at protecting the water environment for all states, territories, and possessions, ignores their diverse conditions. The regulations, such as for size and design of vessels using the ports, would be better left to local solutions in view of the unacceptable risk of a major oil spill and the cost of designing each ship to meet all conditions. The costs of better control of sea transportation are insignificant when compared to the potential harm, making Washington's Tanker Law a small price to pay for the added protection. The solution to the oil spill problem is international, and regulations should apply to all ships using a port. The Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), however, has a poor record in the area of tanker design and construction standards. This poor record led to the unilateral passage of the PWSA. 61 references.

• OSTI ID: 5765225
• Journal Information: Nat. Resour. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Nat. Resour. J.; (United States) Vol. 19:3; ISSN NRJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900 -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
COASTAL WATERS
CONSTRUCTION
DESIGN
HARBORS
INLAND WATERWAYS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
OIL SPILLS
POLLUTION CONTROL
REGULATIONS
SHIPS
STATE GOVERNMENT
SURFACE WATERS
TANKER SHIPS
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL