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Last updated 8/5/2011
This page is is used to capture questions and answers regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and inform on general oil spill topics. The questions are organized in groups of topics. If you have additional questions that you would like answered, please email us at oilspillqanda@ecy.wa.gov.
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General Questions |
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| How do I submit my ideas on alternative response technologies to the oil release in the Gulf? |
The Deepwater
Horizon website has information for how you can submit your ideas and
suggestions. The link below will provide information on how you can submit ideas
and how they are being considered. You may also call to a hotline number to
leave your ideas.
Web link: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/546759/ Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511.
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BP Operations in Washington |
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What type of oil handling operations
is British Petroleum (BP) engaged in here in Washington?
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There are no offshore oil drilling operations off of Washington’s coast, but BP is involved in lots of other aspects of oil movement. British Petroleum has oil spill contingency plans for its oil refinery in Blaine, an oil distribution terminal on Harbor Island in Seattle, its fleet of oil tankers that transport crude oil from Alaska and as an operator of the Olympic Pipeline. The Olympic pipeline runs north to south through western Washington into Oregon. |
| We don’t have offshore drilling in Washington. What are our particular oil spill risks? |
Washington’s unique physical geography and out abundance and diversity
of natural resources has been the driving force behind how the state has
provided for its energy needs and how much importance the state has
placed on preventing and responding to environmental threats, especially
oil spills. Even though the state produces
none of its own oil, Washington has the fifth highest refining capacity
of any state in the nation. The Puget Sound is the closest national port
in the lower 48 states for vessels carrying crude oil out of Valdez,
Alaska. For more than 25 years, tankers laden with Alaskan crude oil
have brought their cargo into Washington. The waters of Washington State
are also one of North America’s primary water-borne transportation
avenues for Pacific Rim commerce. A visitor to one of Washington’s busy
ports will see many ships flying flags from Russia, China, Japan, Korea,
Malaysia and a variety of other nations. Washington has 5 oil
refineries and tankers with a capacity of 38 million gallons of cargo
oil, 750 miles of oil pipelines, with15 billion gallons of oil
transferred annually vessel traffic and ferries cutting across traffic
lanes.
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| What are some of the biggest oil spills in Washington? |
It took a series of major oil spills in Washington and Alaska in the late 1980s and early 1990s before Washington’s spill prevention and response program was finally put into place by the Legislature. Major spills over the last decades include:
Most responders would agree that the biggest spill around the world so far was the Arabian (Persian) Gulf spill in 1991. In many areas of the world the biggest spill risk nations face is sunken vessels from previous world wars.
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Liability and Cleanup |
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| Who pays for the cleanup when oil is spilled? Who pays for the damages for losses that communities experience after spills? |
In Washington, spillers must pay for the entire cost to clean up their damages. The largest oil handling and oil carrying industry sectors have to show evidence of their financial viability to pay for a big spill. Federal laws limit the liability for spillers. Washington State has unlimited liability, which allows our citizens to recover clean up costs and natural resource damages beyond the federal limit. There are three potential consequences to spillers in Washington. Those who spill oil may be required to pay a natural resource damage assessment, a penalty for violation of state law or rule, and the state’s expenses to respond, assess, and investigate the incident.
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| What happens when oil is spilled? How do you clean it up? |
Oil floats on water, though sometimes heavy oil can sink. Oil usually spreads out rapidly across the water surface to form a thin layer. This makes it more difficult to recover the spilled oil with each passing minute. There are a variety of tools and methods to clean up spilled oil:
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| Does the type of oil spilled matter? |
The type of oil that is spilled matters because it affects both the toxicity and persistence in the environment as well as the more efficient method of removal from the environment. The most common types of oils transported or transferred in Washington include Alaska North Slope Crude, No. 1 and No. 2 fuel oils, diesel oil, Bunker C oil, kerosene, gasoline and jet fuel. We distinguish between light and heavy oils. Fuel oils, such as gasoline and diesel, are light oils. Light oils evaporate relatively quickly, and may not remain in the environment for long. Some light oils can ignite or explode, and are also highly toxic. They can kill animals or plants that they touch, and are dangerous to humans who breathe their fumes or get them on their skin. Very heavy oils (like bunker oils, which are used to fuel ships) evaporate slowly. These oils can persist in the environment for a long time. While these oils can be very persistent, they are less acutely toxic than light oils. Instead, the threat from heavy oils comes from their ability to smother organisms. Also, if heavy oils get onto the feathers of birds, the birds may die of hypothermia (they lose the ability to keep themselves warm). In between light and heavy oils are many different kinds of medium oils, which will last for some amount of time in the environment, and will have different degrees of toxicity.
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Preparing for Oil Spills |
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| How do we prepare for oil spills? |
There are real benefits to being prepared for disasters, including oil
spills. Preparedness can reduce anxiety, delays and losses that
accompany oil spills. Oil spill plans provide detailed information on
responses to spills of varying sizes – including worst case potential
incidents ranging from 10,000 up to 36 million gallons, depending on the
operation. Planning is the start – drills are designed to test the
effectiveness of plans. Oil spill drills in Washington occur
frequently. Drills should find the weaknesses so that we can improve
the plans.
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| What are the most important resources at risk of spills in Puget Sound and our coastal areas? |
Washington state provides a single place to discover, learn about, and access available natural resource information at http://access.wa.gov/environment/index.aspx. You can also use the Coastal Atlas to learn about Washington’s marine shorelines and the land areas near Puget Sound, the outer coast, and the estuarine portion of the Columbia River. You can view aerial photographs of marine shorelines, locate different habitat types, physical features, see changes in land cover, and much more at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sma/atlas_home.html. Puget Sound waters contain critical commercial resources including fishing, crabbing, shrimping and shellfish industries. The abundant and diverse fish and wildlife resources are a driving force in state tourism and provide recreational opportunities for residents. The seabird colonies along Washington’s outer coast are among the largest in the United States. In addition, 29 species of marine mammals — including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and sea otters — breed in or migrate through the state. The Olympic Coast is the least disturbed major section of coastline in the continental lower 48 states.
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| How much response equipment do we have in Washington? |
You can see a list of the oil spill response equipment that is located in Washington. The Western Response Resource List (WRRL) contains the following types of information:
You can also view some generalize maps that show the locations of major equipment at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/preparedness/prc/mapdefinitions.html.
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Emergency Response
Tug and Pre-Booming |
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| What are the most important oil spill prevention initiatives I should know about Washington? |
Emergency Response Tug Protects our Outer Coast and Strait of Juan de Fuca Since 1999, the state has funded an emergency response tug stationed at Neah Bay to provide a critical safety net to prevent disabled ships and barges from grounding in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca or off our outer coast. The tug has deployed to stand by or directly assist 45 vessels that were either completely disabled or had reduced maneuvering ability since its inception. On July 1, 2010, the responsibility for funding and managing the standby tug will shift to the maritime shipping industry. The state will retain an ability to dispatch the tug using the state’s Spill Response Account funds whenever there is the need to mitigate a threat to our waters. Oil Transfer Rules Keep Washington Waters Protected Over 15 billion gallons of oil is transferred over water in Washington state each year. The state’s Oil Transfer rules that have been in place since October 2006, continue to have a very positive preventive impact on oil handling operations in the state. The rules require vessels and facilities, such as refineries, and tank truck, delivering oil to provide advance notice whenever they intend to transfer more than 100 gallons of oil over state waters. This advance notice permits state and federal inspectors to target and monitor the transfer operations of the higher risk transfers. State inspectors have consistently inspected approximately 10% of the nearly 15,000 oil transfers that occur each year focusing on transfers that represent higher risk of spills. It is noteworthy that the spill rate during transfer operations in Washington averages less than 1 gallon of oil spilled per 100 million gallons of oil transferred. In addition, the rules include pre-booming requirements for high rate oil transfers between vessels and at the state’s 23 major land-based, large-volume oil handling facilities whenever it is safe and effective. Pre-booming is known for effectively trapping and containing spilled oil which:
In 2009, 89% of all high risk oil transfers required to be pre-boomed throughout the state were pre-boomed and over 94% of all bunker fueling operations in Puget Sound were pre-boomed. This is an exceptional overall compliance rate considering the great variability in weather and currents that often make pre-booming difficult, ineffective or unsafe. Vessels and Facility Inspections Reduce the Risk of an Oil Spill Ecology works with the regulated community and others to minimize the environmental threat of oil spills from vessels and oil handling facilities. Washington state has an active vessel inspection program for commercial vessels of 300 gross tons and above. Ecology vessel inspectors regularly screen arriving vessels for potential risk and board cargo and passenger vessels targeted as highest risk to determine whether they are in compliance with accepted industry standards or if they may pose a substantial risk of harm to public health and safety, and/or the environment. Ecology’s inspectors have conducted approximately 500 vessel safety and environmental protection inspections, including another 500 vessel spill notification drills each year for the last five years. Ecology facility inspectors annually inspect our state’s nearly 50 fixed and mobile oil handling facilities to ensure proper operations and prevention measures are in place.
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Career in Spill Response |
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| I'm considering a career in Spill Response. What kinds of courses or work experience should I seek? |
In school you should seek classes in basic science courses, like
chemistry, math, physics, and biology. You also need to learn to be a
good communicator and able to stay calm in stressful situations. It is
also useful to gain hands-on skills like boat handling. Service in the
U.S. Coast Guard has proved to be a way for some people to gain
on-the-job pollution prevention and response experience.
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Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
