104 



is the most significant thing we have learned. I think it was down 

 there at the Bay of Campeche. 



Mr. Pritchard. Let me ask one other thing here. What kind of a 

 response can you make today in the case of an oil spill in the Puget 

 Sound area? Do you have this equipment — do you have just one 

 skimmer or do you have a series of these things? How quickly can 

 they be brought to the scene and what kind of skilled operators 

 and ability do you have, say, in an area like the Straits of Juan de 

 Fuca or Puget Sound? 



Captain Corbett. The equipment for a spill in that area would 

 come from our Pacific strike team at Hamilton Air Force Base, 

 Calif. It is ready to go if it is not being used some place else. It is 

 air transportable by C-130 aircraft. I do not know the airport at 

 which it would arrive. That element of the response time, and the 

 people to accompany it, would be very quick and very effective, 

 then the problem is getting it to the actual site of the spill. And 

 also the weather. 



Mr. Pritchard. I understand the weather, I just wonder what 

 your capacity as far as — what is your strike team; does it involve 6 

 or 25 people? 



Captain Corbett. Strike teams average about 25 people. I really 

 could almost assure you that they — again weather affects airplanes 

 being able to take off — but 4 or 5 hours up to your area, getting 

 into the Seattle area, then ready to press on by truck or water- 

 borne vehicle if the weather is OK to do so. 



Mr. Studds. Mr. Breaux. 



Mr. Breaux. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Captain. I 

 would also like to commend you publicly for the work that the 

 Coast Guard did with the chemical spill that occurred in the Mis- 

 sissippi River. Your obligation I guess has the supervisory jurisdic- 

 tion over chemical spills in the navigable waters. Let me discuss 

 maybe a slightly different question first. Your moneys for cleanup 

 operations come out of what fund? 



Captain Corbett. 31 IK fund, established by the Clean Water 

 Act. That is, providing it is necessary. We naturally hope that the 

 discharger will pick up the bills. But if he does not we will certain- 

 ly use the 3 UK fund. 



Mr. Breaux. Section 311 of the Clean Water Act provided the 

 funds we used to clean up the IXTOC oil spill. 



Captain Corbett. That portion of the spill that reached the 

 Texas coast, yes, sir. 



Mr. Breaux. How much of the moneys do you have left in the 

 fund at this point approximately? 



Captian Corbett. Right now there is about $18 million in the 

 fund. 



Mr. Breaux. $18 million. The authorization and appropriation 

 levels are what? 



Captain Corbett. $35 million. 



Mr. Breaux. And the appropriations were what, $35 million? 



Captain Corbett. We were never appropriated $35 million. It 

 started out at $20 million and it is a revolving fund. So we have 

 received moneys back from dischargers, moneys back from penal- 

 ties and a number of supplemental appropriations. I did not come 



