145 



before the Oceanography Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries 

 Committee on August 26, 1980. Our responses are an enclosure to this letter. 

 We appreciate your continued interest in this topic area. 

 Sincerely, 



J. B. Hayes, 

 Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, 



Commandant. 

 Enclosures. 



Questions of Mr. Forsythe and Mr. Pritchard With Answers 



Question 1. What is your definition of a major oil spill of the size referred to in 

 your statement? What is the flow rate of the blowout, the duration of the blowout, 

 as well as the total level of spill in relationship to time? 



Answer. Within the context of OCS activities, we consider a major oil spill to be 

 one which is discharging (or expected to discharge) at the flow rate of 1000 barrels 

 during a 24 hour period. Since any blowout would include the threat of such a 

 flowrate, it would be considered a major incident. There may be other occasions 

 when a spill of lower actual discharge would be considered major; for example if an 

 especially sensitive environmental condition existed at the time of the spill. 



Question 2. What do you mean by your statement that you could not respond to a 

 major oil spill? Does that mean you could not attempt to contain or disperse the 

 spill, or does it mean you could not completely recover the oil? Please be specific on 

 all accounts. 



Answer. Indeed, weather conditions permitting, we would attempt to contain, 

 recover or disperse the spill (providing the discharger was not taking adequate 

 action). It would be a rare occasion when, even with good weather, we could recover 

 all of the oU. We do not believe that there exists an inplace capability to be fully 

 responsive to a major oil spill on the OCS. 



Question 3. Have you ever claimed you could completely retain and recover the oil 

 from a major oil spill? 



Answer. We have no recollection of consciously claiming that we could completely 

 retain and recover the oil from an offshore discharge. On the other hand, we have 

 often said recently, that oil spills are difficult to deal with, often hampered by 

 weather, and that there is no one universal mechanism with which to address all 

 discharges. 



Question 4- In cleanup operations and potential harm, is there a difference be- 

 tween a tanker spill of refined products and crude oil? 



Answer. Refined products transported by tanker range from very light gasolines 

 to heavy bunker oil, all of which are derived from crude oil. Generally, the lighter 

 refined products are more toxic than the heavy refined products and crude oils. The 

 type of cleanup operation and the potential harm from any of these oils, including 

 crude, is largely dependent on the quantity spilled, the location, time of year, 

 weather, current and wave action and other factors. The light refined products are 

 more harmful because they mix more easily and impact a wide range of aquatic life. 

 The heavy refined products and crude oils make a more visible mess but are 

 relatively less toxic and easier to recover. 



Question 5. As you know, today's state of the art in oil and gas operations far 

 surpasses that which existed just eight or ten years ago. With this in mind, and to 

 put things in proper perspective, how many major oil spills that have been caused 

 by blowouts have occurred on the OCS in the past ten years, and how many have 

 created significant recreational or biological harm? 



Answer. Our records indicate that since 1973, there have been 23 oil/gas blowouts 

 from offshore production facilities. The record of oil spill quantity from blowouts is 

 not accurately attainable. The Coast Guard would consider any blowout as a major 

 incident or a potential major spill. 



In our view the two most significant discharges from offshore operations were the 

 Santa Barbara Spill and the Chevron Platform spill. Both created recreational 

 disruption. We have reports that the Santa Barbara spill resulted in biological 

 harm. The degree of biological harm resulting from oil spills is highly controversial, 

 even within the scientific community. 



Question 6. What entity actually has the responsibility to retain and clean-up 

 crude oil spills as a result of OCS oil and gas activities? What procedures are 

 involved, what stand-by safety measures are in effect, and what (subjective or 

 objective) is your opinion of the record that has been established over the past seven 

 to ten years? 



Answer. The lease operator has the responsibility to retain and clean-up crude oil 

 spUls as a result of OCS oil and gas activities. The Coast Guard provides technical 



