Oil spill response capabilities in the United States
- Office of Technology Assessment, Washington, DC (United States)
The Exxon Valdez incident has been a catalyst for the US to reexamine its technology and policies for fighting oil spills. Many organizations are now at work on the problems highlighted by this sill, including federal and state agencies and the oil industry. It is hoped that the attention generated by the Exxon Valdez will result in fewer spills and a greatly improved capability to fight the ones that will still occur. Cleaning up a discharge of millions of gallons of oil at sea under even moderate environmental conditions is an extraordinary problem. Current national capabilities to respond effectively to such an accident are marginal at best. Response technologies must and will improve, but in addition and perhaps more importantly, many improvements can be made in the way the country has organized itself to fight major spills. Nonetheless, prevention is still the best medicine.
- OSTI ID:
- 5117042
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 25:2; ISSN 0013-936X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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