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Improvement of Federal ability to respond to oil pollution emergencies. I have 

 directed the appropriate Federal agency, particularly the Coast Guard, the Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency, in cooperation with state and local governments to 

 improve our ability to contain and minimize the damaging effects of oil spills. The 

 goal is an ability to respond within 6 hours to a spill of 100,000 tons. 



Now let me read to you for the purposes of the record, I know 

 you are familiar with it, from the letter Admiral Hayes sent on 

 July 16 to Mr Ashley, acting chairman of the committee. I quote, 

 "The national response goals established by the President March 

 17, 1977, oil pollution message are not being implemented by the 

 Coast Guard, nor are we in the process of deploying high seas 

 containment and cleanup equipment at 11 strategic sites around 

 the United States to respond to an oil spill of 100,000 tons within 6 

 hours." At the very least that is refreshingly clear language that 

 we are not complying with the directive of the President. Why not? 



Captain Corbett. Mr. Chairman, I think first of all the key 

 phrase in the language that you read which the Commandant 

 wrote is relating to the 6-hour element. We are, in fact — we will be 

 locating our equipment at the sites which we have said that we 

 would. Let me just insert into the record a short statement that I 

 have on this, if you please. Initial emphasis on implementing the 

 Presidential initiatives has been improving response equipment 

 and improving operations procedures. At the time of the Presi- 

 dent's message of March 17, 1977, on rising pollution of the ocean 

 we had no equipment which would permit the recovery of oil in 

 seas greater than 5 feet. Since that time we have modified 13 

 devices for oil containment at sea and developed techniques that 

 would permit us to deploy these devices in up to approximately 10- 

 foot seas. There are four complete systems including pumping in 

 our inventory. We have presently a contract for more of these 

 devices and expect to have 26 complete systems built by the fall of 

 1981. 



Mr. Studds. The fall of 1981? 



Captain Corbett. Yes, sir. These are fully budgeted and we 

 expect to have them. 



Mr. Studds. That is 4y2 years after the President's message? 



Captain Corbett. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Studds. At the end of Admiral Hayes' letter of last month 

 which you tracked in your testimony almost verbatim, he states to 

 Congressman Ashley, "Quite candidly I must say I do not believe 

 there now exists an in-place capability to effectively respond to a 

 major oil or hazardous substance spill on the OCS or fisheries 

 conservation zone. It will take some time before the situation im- 

 proves." That is the end of the letter. 



Captain Corbett. Yes. 



Mr. Studds. You have a similar statement in your own testimo- 

 ny. 



Captain Corbett. I will just remark extemporaneously on that. I 

 think by the time we will get our 26 skimming barriers located 

 around the country that the Coast Guard will be in a relatively 

 good position to attend to or address an open water spill. However, 

 the main thrust of our activities on the Outer Continental Shelf is 

 not to provide Coast Guard equipment but to insist — and I really 

 mean this quite seriously — to insist that the operators have the 



