nec@cdp.uucp (10/04/89)
* Written 11:58 am Oct 1, 1989 by nec in cdp:en.coastal */
* ---------- "Oct. Offshore Oil Update" ---------- */
by Sidney Dominitz
Despite months of anti-oil hearings, and the mute testimony of
Prince William Sound, the presidential task force considering
offshore oil leasing still can't decide whether to allow drilling
off the coast of California.
That was the message last month from the task force chief,
Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan, who indicated the panel may
simply throw the decision back to President Bush.
Talking to reporters at the ends of months of public testimony
from more than 650 witnesses, and just weeks after Exxon halted
its far-from-complete clean-up of its huge Alaska oil spill,
Lujan referred to the hotly disputed leasing proposals off
northern and southern California.
"The one question that we can't answer is: How important is it--
or is it not--to drill in Lease Sale 95 or 91, or whatever, in
connection with our overall needs? And we're not going to be able
to answer that question," he said.
Energy Plan Coming
Acknowledging that the administration has put the cart before the
horse, Lujan said the task force report--due to be given to Bush
in January--will be done before completion of a new national
energy plan, expected in April at the earliest.
A task force spokesman admitted that most witnesses believed that
drilling could ruin local economies and lifestyles.
He said that off Florida, the greatest concern is protecting the
Everglades. Off southern California, it is the risk of increased
air pollution. And he summarized northern Californians' concerns
as: "The coastline is sparsely populated and undeveloped, and the
people would like to keep it that way."
The comment belied the findings of yet another study, this time
by six central California coastal communities, showing that
accidents--at least four, including a tanker mishap and a
platform leak--are certain if the drilling moratorium is lifted.
The study, released in late September, showed that if a spill
occurred at sea in northern California, it could not be cleaned
up.
That certainly has been the discovery in Alaska, where the Coast
Guard said that less than half of the 1,800 miles of oil-fouled
coastline had been cleaned.
Exxon Slips Away
Exxon, responsible for the costliest industrial accident ever,
withdrew from clean-up in mid-September anyway, leaving the tides
to do the job--and prompting scientists to predict that once the
goo hardens, Prince William Sound will become the world's largest
asphalt lot, affecting the food chain for years.
The oil giant did spend more than one billion dollars on clean-
up, or about $100 for each gallon that poured out of the Exxon
Valdez in the Good Friday spill. According to the state of
Alaska, Exxon only picked up one-sixth of the oil; one-third
evaporated and half remains in the environment.
Most of the liquid that Exxon has collected--as much as 100,000
barrels of oil mixed with water and sea debris--is being stored
near the Seattle Kingdome until the oil firm can recycle and sell
it.
EPA chief William Reilly and Vice President Dan Quayle both
promised last month that if Exxon doesn't go back next spring to
finish the clean-up, the government will do the job and bill the
company.
That the job isn't done is perhaps best exemplified by sites such
as Sleepy Bay, about 80 miles from where the tanker went aground.
Scrubbed and hosed for a solid month, the beach was still
carpeted with oil in sections that had been treated as recently
as the day before.
The best hope for clean-up appears to be a process called
bioremediation, in which bacteria are used to consume and partly
break down the oil. But only about 70 miles of beach have been so
treated--and since the bacteria only work to a depth of a few
inches, they are ineffective where oil is three feet deep.
Death Of A Symbol
The spill's other effects still are becoming known. John Turner,
the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, last month
said the impact on bald eagles has been severe, threatening
future generations through deaths and a staggering drop in
reproduction.
Some areas in Prince William Sound have shown a 67% nest failure,
and three hard-hit islands suffered 100% failure.
"We're talking about the national symbol, something precious to
all Americans, a bird of tremendous courage, resiliency, rugged
individualism," Turner lamented.
The lesson of Alaska has prompted California fishermen to band
together as the Oil Spill Response Network, signing up more than
120 fishing boats and crews from Santa Barbara to Eureka to
respond "to protect our own fishing and environment," a spokesman
said.
The OSRN network is on-line and computerized, ready whenever the
Coast Guard needs help. It is still looking to add qualified
civilian sailors with craft big enough to haul and tow oil-
retaining booms. Write to the OSRN, 10001 Bridgeway, Suite 716,
Sausalito, CA 94965; or call (415) 332-8589.
Ounce Of Prevention
California officials also are trying to avoid a repeat of the
Alaska tragedy. State Controller Gray Davis and Lieutenant
Governor Leo McCarthy, both members of the State Lands
Commission, have joined with legislators to introduce an oil
spill prevention and response act. It focuses on both tanker and
terminal safety, and would establish fees assessed on each barrel
of crude.
The NEC, too, has been active signing on to a 275-group national
appeal to House Speaker Tom Foley for Congress to pass
comprehensive oil-spill legislation.
Meanwhile the logistics of leasing means that even though Bush
has temporarily shelved plans for Lease Sale 91 (northern
California) and 95 (southern California), Lease Sale 119 (central
California) is moving ahead. A draft environmental impact
statement is due out in a few months--and leasing is planned for
March, 1991.
To get involved in the decade-old offshore oil issue, contact the
NEC.
(from ECONEWS, Newsletter of the Northcoast Environmental Center,
Arcata, California; October 1989.)
---
Patt Haring | United Nations | FAX: 212-787-1726
patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | BBS: 201-795-0733
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