INDUSTRY VIEWS AND RESPONSIBLITIES 

 IN OIL SPILL/WILDLIFE OPERATIONS 



Keith G. Hay 1 



The unusually severe winter of 1977 has already had a profound effect 

 on wildlife and man. The unseasonably warm weather in Alaska has stirred 

 bears out of hibernation, and on the Pacific Coast, drought conditions have 

 reduced the supply of surface water, causing ducks and geese to crowd into 

 areas of available water to such an extent that cholera and botulism epidemics 

 are considered likely. The lack of rainfall in the pothole breeding areas 

 of the Midwest will have an adverse effect on next summer's hatch of young 

 birds. On the Atlantic Coast, which is experiencing one of the coldest 

 winters in history, the bitter cold and heavy icing conditions have killed 

 thousands of birds and have resulted in acute shortages of fuel to heat homes 

 and keep businesses and schools operating. 



To meet increased energy demands in this country, a steady stream of 

 tankers import about eight million barrels of oil into the United States 

 each day from foreign countries. These tankers supply more than 90 percent 

 of the fuel needs of East Coast residents. As the need for more oil continues 

 to increase, it becomes apparent that petroleum will continue to be this 

 Nation's main source of energy for as long into the future as anyone can 

 see. 



Unfortunately, the United States is becoming more and more dependent 

 on foreign sources of oil. At present, this country is importing 41 percent 

 of its petroleum requirements. If this trend continues, the United States 

 will soon be relying on other countries for more than 50 percent of its oil 

 needs. Saudia Arabia is now the number one supplier. The United States is 

 now importing twice as much oil from Arab countries as it was just prior to 

 the oil embargo imposed by the Arab nations just over three years ago. 

 During the last 3 years, the price of Arab oil has more than quadrupled. 



Tankers are, and will remain, an indispensable means of moving remote 

 oil supplies to markets around the world. Without the movement of oil by 

 tankers, modern industrial society as we know it would soon cease to exist. 



But men and machines are far from perfect. Accidents do occur — on land, 

 on the sea, and in the air. Oil spills at sea are the sine qua non of import- 

 ing vast quantities of petroleum into this country. Unfortunately, accidents 

 of this type are simply not going to disappear. I applaud the efforts of 

 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in developing contingency plans to cope 

 with what will surely be a recurring problem for man and wildlife. 



What is the petroleum industry's responsibility concerning this problem? 

 Its primary goal is to keep oil out of the sea. No one is working any harder 



Conservation Director 

 American Petroleum Institute 

 2101 L Street, N.W. 

 Washington, D.C. 20240 



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