367 



authority and the accessibility to the revolving fund will enable the government 

 to act to reduce or eliminate a discharge or the threat of a discharge which would 

 result in major harmful consequences to the coastline or other related interests 

 of the United States. 



The elimination of oil pollution caused by vessel casiialties will be beneficial 

 to the sensitive near-shore areas, such as estuaries, intertidal zones, etc. The 

 ability of the government to act to prevent or minimize a discharge will protect 

 the sensitive coastal area. Early action could be taken to protect the shoreline. 

 This added time could be used to reduce the environmental impact (1) diverting, 

 if possible, the discharged oil to an area, if available, less sensitive to oil damage ; 

 (2) allowing time to clean up the oil before it reaches the shore; (3) allowing 

 time to prepare tlie coastline to minimize the oil's impact; (4) removing the 

 source of the discharge from the area, i.e. towing the ship out to sea; and (5) 

 removing the potential for a discharge by unloading the cargo, supplying the 

 vessel with needed assistance, etc. This bill will enable the government to take 

 these and other actions to reduce or eliminate oil damage to the coast or other 

 related interests of the United States. 



v. ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 



The basic concept of the bill is to reduce oil pollution damage to the coastlines 

 or related interests of the United States. Once a discharge occurs on the high 

 seas, the bill enables the United States to act to remove the discharge with re- 

 imbursement for this action available through the revolving fund, The bill also 

 authorizes action before the discharge occurs if a grave and imminent danger 

 to the coastline or other related interests exists. The action taken to reduce or 

 eliminate this threat or remove the oil can have adverse environmental effects. 

 However, the adverse effect of the discharge is usually greater than the effects 

 of the prevention measures. 



A. Adverse Environmental Impact of Action Taken at the Source 



The action taken by the United States to reduce or mitigate the effects of the 

 discharge on our coastal environmental could have an adverse environmental 

 impact. Actions taken against the ship to eliminate the threat of pollution may 

 affect the marine environment. This action may prevent the discharge from reach- 

 ing the coastline but the oil's presence will affect the immediate area of the ac- 

 cident. This action, if not executed properly, may introduce more oil, more rapid- 

 ly than would otherwise occur. Salvage or removal efforts involving demolition 

 may destroy marine life in the immediate area. The diversion of the discharged 

 oil to an area of lesser ecological sensitivity, i.e., the open ocean, will affect that 

 area's environment. Pelagic plants and animals in the open ocean will be affected 

 by this oil. Oil entering the food chain could effect the ecology of the entire ocean. 



B. Adverse Effects of the Removal of Oil 



The biological effects of control and removal procedures following a discharge 

 are an essential part of the environmental impact assessment. Sorbents, mate- 

 rial that absorb oil can be used to collect oil. Problems with disposal of this 

 material .sometimes cause adverse environmental impact. Chemicals and sub- 

 stances used to disperse, concentrate, burn, sink or otherwise remove oil are 

 also used. The use of these chemicals in United States waters is subject to 

 the approval of the Environmental J*rotection Agency. The environmental im- 

 pact of these substances is not fully understood but often they cause adverse 

 environmental effects. Once the oil is collected, disposal is a problem. If the 

 oil is not disposed of properly, re-entry into the marine environment through 

 leeching often occurs. The daily quantity may be small but studies show that 

 chronic oil pollution is harmful to the ecosystem which it enters [6]. 



VI. SHORT-TERM USES AND LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY 



The proposed bill would have positive short-term and long-term environ- 

 mental benefits. In the short run it would provide the United States with 

 the authority to take necessary action to reduce the threat of pollution to its 

 shores in cases of ship accidents on the high seas. This bill is a benefit to 

 long-term productivity by reducing one source of oil pollution in critical en- 

 vironmental areas, i.e., coastal waters. 



