Panel Says US Not Adequately Equipped to Handle Oil Spills

The National Research Council (NRC) says that the United States is not adequately equipped to effectively respond to oil spills, according to their new report.

Amidst a changing climate, this raises concern, given that the US Arctic Waters are more exposed to commercial activities such as shipping, oil and gas development and tourism. More response tools are needed to address such events, but not all of them are readily available.

For example, 25 years after the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, beaches on the Alaska Peninsula hundreds of kilometers from the incident still harbor small hidden pockets of surprisingly unchanged oil, according to an American Geophysical Union press release.

The report "identifies the different pieces that need to come together" to have a shot at more effective oil spill response, said Martha Grabowski, a researcher in information systems at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, and chair of the NRC committee.

NRC, made up of members of academia and industry, recommended beefing up forecasting systems for ocean and ice conditions, infrastructure for supply chains for people and equipment to respond, field research on the behavior of oil in the Arctic environment, and other strategies to prepare for a significant spill in the Arctic's harsh conditions.

A decision process such as the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis, which weighs and compares the advantages and disadvantages of different response options, should be used to select the most appropriate response tools that would cause the least environmental harm, according to the report.

But, that is easier said than done. The Arctic poses many hazards, including extreme weather and environmental settings, limited operations and communications infrastructure, a vast geographic area, and vulnerable species and ecosystems. Taking these under consideration, the NRC notes that not all oil spills are the same. Some may require one response tool, others several, or none at all.   

"This is a study that's both broad and deep," Grabowski adds. "In terms of whether anyone picks this up and runs with it - that's another step."