work. To supplement efforts on corrective aspects, the Coast 

 Guard has initiated a program of research and regulatory action 

 to prevent pollution by ship cargoes. The behavior of chemi- 

 cals in the marine environment will be emphasized because 

 of the present lack of knowledge about their great potential 

 hazard. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on 

 Oceanography and the National Academy of Engineering Com- 

 mittee on Ocean Engineering plan to hold a workshop in late 

 Spring 1969 to discuss the problems which the FWPCA has with 

 the disposal of wastes in the coastal environment. 



Oil Well Leaks. As of this writing, the most spectacular 

 ocean pollution incident during the past year occurred from oil 

 well leaks six miles off the shores of Santa Barbara, California. 

 Beginning on January 28, 1969, several fissures in the ocean 

 floor leaked about 230,000 gallons of oil which spread over 800 

 square miles of ocean before the well was successfully sealed 

 12 days later. Some estimates of damage range up to $1 bil- 

 lion, with no way of determining the short- and long-term effects 

 on the ecology of the coastal waters. Local citizens and officials, 

 especially those who own the $5 million worth of boats smeared 

 by the oil and the beach-front property which was valued as 

 high as $2,000 a front foot, are demanding and getting response 

 with respect to stronger federal regulations governing the drill- 

 ing of oil wells on federal tidelands. 



Secretary of Interior Hickel inspected the site during the 

 leaks and ordered all oil companies in the area to suspend oper- 

 ations until the drilling plans of the companies could be review- 

 ed. Twenty-four hours later he allowed drilling to resume; the 

 resulting protests prompted a re-reversal two days later and the 

 rigs were ordered to close down again. 



On February 4, Secretary Hickel announced that his De- 

 partment would undertake a full-scale investigation of existing 

 regulations covering offshore drilling. President Nixon direct- 

 ed his science advisor on February 11 to set up a panel of scien- 

 tists and engineers to find ways to prevent future oil pollution. 

 In late February, upon the recommendations of the scientific 

 panel, temporary pumping from wells in the Channel was ord- 

 ered to relieve pressure in an existing seep. 



One of the heated controversies during the Santa Barbara 

 crisis was centered around the use of the dispersant used to 

 try to break up the oil slick. The Union Oil Company began 

 spraying the oil with Corexit, a chemical developed by Esso 

 Research and Engineering Company, claiming that it is harmless 

 to marine plant and animal life. After four days, the Federal 

 Water Pollution Control Board ordered spraying stopped but 



31 



