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Oil Spills into U.S. Waters
Transportation-related
sources account for most oil reported spilled into
U.S.
waters each year1 (box 15-C). The volume of each
spill varies significantly from incident to incident: one catastrophic incident
can spill millions of gallons into the environment. Consequently, the total
volume of reported oil spills can fluctuate greatly from year to year (figure
15-5). For instance, transportation's share of the total volume of oil spilled
between 1991 and 2001 varied from a high of 97 percent in 1996 to a low of 77
percent in 1992.
Maritime
incidents are the source of most reported oil spills, particularly on a volume
basis. On average, 1.8 million gallons of various types of oil were spilled
each year by all transportation and nontransportation sources between 1991 and 2001. Of this, 78 percent of oil spilled came from
incidents involving maritime vessels and facilities, 10 percent from pipeline
incidents, and 1.5 percent from all other transportation modes (figure 15-6).
Oil cargo accounted for 58 percent of the total volume spilled in 2000 [1].
Failures
in transportation systems (vessels, pipelines, highway vehicles, and railroad
equipment) or errors made by operators can result in spillage of crude oil,
refined petroleum products, and other materials and cause serious damage to the
environment. The ultimate impact of each spill depends on the location and
volume of the spill, weather conditions, and the natural resources affected.
While data exist on oil spilled into
U.S.
waters, there is less
information available on the resulting consequences to the environment. In
addition, little information exists on the quantity of oil entering the water
from improper disposal of used motor oil or other nonreported sources.
Source
1. American Petroleum Institute, Oil Spills in
U.S.
Navigable Waters: 1991-2000 (Washington, DC: Feb. 11, 2003).
1 When an oil spill occurs in
U.S.
waters, the responsible
party is required to report the spill to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard
collects data on the number, location, and source of spills, volume and type of
oil spilled, and the type of operation that caused the spill.
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