'Toxic Legacy' - Focusing on Oil
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LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF OFFSHORE OIL
ON WILDLIFE & PUBLIC HEALTH
In the early hours of March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran into Bligh Reef spilling 10.8 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. In response to the spill, efforts were led by President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and bipartisan Congressional efforts to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. These political leaders insituted offshore oil drilling moratoria in the outercontinental shelf and Bristol Bay.
Nearly twenty years after the Exxon disaster, President George W. Bush and Congress have reversed these moratoria and have raised the risk of another oil spill catastrophe.
Toxic Legacy thoroughly documents the consequences of our addiction to oil, from drilling to transportation and final use. The report calls for a reinstatement of the moratoria in order to better protect our oceans.
-- http://oceana.org/climate/solutions/oceana/focusing-on-oil/
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julesrs007
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As a result, Oceana recommends the following:
Reinstate the pre-existing moratoria for offshore oil production including the protections for Bristol Bay, Alaska. Increasing renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Begin the development of a comprehensive conservation and energy plan for the Arctic that provides a transition from oil to renewable energy and conservation. The plan should include a comprehensive scientific assessment of the health, biodiversity and functioning of Arctic ecosystems, as well as the benefits and consequences of specific industrial activities. Ongoing activities must be stopped and a precautionary, science-based approach applied to all oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development activities in Arctic waters to determine if those activities should be conducted and if so, when, where and how.
Promote energy efficiency and low carbon fuels.
Energy should be conserved at every opportunity, including through improved fuel efficiency standards for cars, trucks, airplanes and ships. Provision of cleaner fuels and investment in efficient mass transit should also be priorities. Incentives should be provided to individuals, institutions and corporations to reduce their oil and other fossil fuel consumption.
Prioritize the development of offshore wind energy in place of offshore oil drilling using financial mechanisms such as loan guarantees and refundable tax credits. Such funds should be extended to manufacturers of necessary technology, as well as to construction firms, where needed to prevent bottlenecks that could limit the development of renewable energy.
- 2 years ago
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julesrs007
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julesrs007
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Tourism-based economies also suffer after oil spills. Reduced tourism spending in Alaska in the summer of 1989 alone amounted to $5.5 million, while Spain lost about €134 million (around $159 million) in income following the Prestige spill.
Oil contamination can affect subsistence communities that depend on fish and shellfish for food. Besides the toxic effects of oil itself, many subsistence hunters and fishers stop hunting and fishing after a spill because of concerns about food safety. After the Valdez spill, for example, subsistence harvests declined as much as 77 percent.
The average cleanup costs of offshore spills are about $7,350 permetric ton of oil, while shoreline clean up can average 20 times that at $147 thousand to $294 thousand per metric ton of oil. A spill like the Exxon Valdez that oiled over 1,300 miles of coast cost more than $93 thousand per metric ton, which resulted in some $2.5 billion in cleanup costs.
Alternatives to oil exist. For example, shifting to a fleet of plug-in and electric vehicles will greatly reduce the need for oil and will also allowour cars to be powered by clean energy, such as wind power. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that offshore wind in U.S. waters could generate more than the current total installed electric capacity.
Oil Risks are Pervasive:
Each activity relating to offshore oil production, from extraction to transportation to consumption, presents risks to the marine environment. During extraction there can be large oil spills and chronic leaks. Every step of the transportation equation - from loading, shipping, unloading, piping and storage - presents a chance for oil to escape. Oil is burned as fuel for cars, boats, airplanes, power plants, and heating units. Burning oil creates air pollution, which can precipitate out into the ocean. Oil is also dumped down storm drains or leaked from vehicles. These releases are washed down drains or sewers and are deposited into waterways and ultimately the oceans.Recommendations:
Renewable energy, energy efficiency and electric transportation alternatives can eliminate the need for oil. In fact, alternative energysources, such as offshore wind can supply our electricity needs in full.Meanwhile, oil production on the outer continental shelf will not comeclose to meeting the United States' oil demand nor will it reduce foreign oil dependency.
- 2 years ago
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julesrs007
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julesrs007
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When oil coats an animal it can limit its ability to swim or fly, and to maintain its body temperature, feed properly, and even reproduce.
Young animals are usually the most vulnerable to the effects of oil.
Oil can harm habitats, making them unsuitable for feeding, nesting, and other services they provide to marine life. These include intertidal areas where innumerable species including sea turtles reproduce, as well as wetlands, coral reefs and mangroves, which are nursery areas for commercially important fish.
Many animals are killed directly after an oil spill. After the Exxon Valdez spill, 300 harbor seals, 900 bald eagles, 2,800 sea otters and 250,000 sea birds were killed soon after the incident.
Sub-lethal impacts of oil can also be devastating. Oil can harm the eyes, mouth, and nasal tissue, as well as the immune system, red blood cells, and organs like the liver, lungs and stomach. It can also disrupt behaviors like navigation, breeding and feeding.
Oil can persist in the environment long after a spill.More than ten years after the Exxon Valdez, enough oil remained in the environment to continue to harm wildlife such as fish, sea otters and sea ducks.
Oil is composed of many different toxic compounds including tracemetals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) many of which are carcinogenic.
Oil spills can take a major toll on the commercial fishing industry. In the year following the Prestige oil spill off the coast of Spain, the coastal fishing and aquaculture industry lost €65 million ($72 million)in revenue. Losses to recreational fishing in just the two years following the Exxon Valdez spill totaled approximately $31 million.
- 2 years ago
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julesrs007
