Oil Spills as an Environmental Issue

This research paper discusses oil spills as an environmental issue with particular reference to the East Coast of the United

States. In recent years, the East Coast has suffered a large

number of oil spills, a few of which have occurred in New England, but it has thus far avoided the very large spills of the type which have occurred elsewhere. Oil spills pose a major threat to the human and marine environment in the oceans, inland waterways and surrounding areas. This will continue so long as the world continues to rely to a large degree on petroleum as a major source of energy. Since the major Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989, the United States has begun to take measures to control the incidence and consequences of such spills, but further steps are required to minimize damage to the environment.

Oil Spills as an Environmental Hazard

The spillage of oil, in its crude or refined state, into the waters of the world constitutes a major environmental hazard. Waterways are polluted by many sources, including sewage, industrial waste, air pollution and oil. A 1973 study by the National Science Foundation estimated that only two to six percent of water pollution relates to oil. Lean says that "every year about 4 million metric tons of oil contaminates the sea. Only about half comes from ships-the rest is from land-based pollution-and less than a third of that is spilt by accident."

Stein says that "one tenth to one percent of the world's

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that dwell in the fragile wetlands." A moderately-sized spill, 1.5 gallons of heating oil, from a grounded barge in January, 1994, fouled some of the beaches of San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1993-1996, other oil spills have been reported in the Delaware River, Virginia and Tampa Bay. New England receives most of its oil by barge and is outside the major ocean tanker routes. However, on January 19, 1996, 828,000 gallons of home heating oil leaked into Narragansett Bay from a barge beached in high seas. Damage to marine industries was estimated to be tens of million dollars. Twelve thousand lobsters were destroyed and fishing was banned in a 254 square mile radius. A lesser oil spill was reported off Connecticut's shores in 1992. There were at least two tanker beaching/spills off Cape Cod in the 1970s and 1980s. Remedies and Policy Alternatives Yergin says that the Exxon Valdez tanker accident "strengthened the reborn environmental consciousness and the willingness of many people to trade off energy production in favor of environmental protection." The two principal remedies to the problem of oil spills have been: (1) improved cleanup, remediation and prevention efforts; and (2) federal legislation. Early attempts to use heavy d

Category: Science - O