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Oil Spill Preparation and Response
The challenge of managing oil spills in the United States
is increasing in complexity and magnitude. Oil spills threaten
millions of miles of coastline, river systems, lakes and terrestrial
habitat daily, particularly where there is extensive oil drilling,
refining, and transport. Serious, and potentially permanent,
ecological damage is possible where chronic spills or spills
of national significance occur. The goal of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service's Oil Spill Program is to emphasize early
(contingency) planning and cooperation at the local, regional
and national level in an effort to minimize the injury to
fish, wildlife, and sensitive environments from oil spills.The Departments of the Interior, Commerce and Agriculture,
together with Tribal governments, States, and other jurisdictions,
are responsible for protecting these natural resources. Because
oil spills respect no boundaries, uniform Federal policies
and programs are essential. In addition, since the resources
necessary to respond to oil spills are limited and vary among
the response agencies, it is more important than ever to establish
and strengthen cooperative relationships.
Some additional information published on the Oil Spill Program
include:
Recent Spills of National Interest: |
Michigan, Kalamazoo/Enbridge Oil Spill Response |
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Snapping turtle rehabilitated at wildlife rehabilitation center in Marshall, Mich., and released near Battle Creek River. USFWS Photo |
On July 26, 2010, 30-inch pipeline burst on near Marshall, Michigan. more than 800,000 gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek (view map), a waterway that feeds the Kalamazoo River.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce, Michigan Oil Spill Response site |
Deepwater Horizon (Mississippi Canyon 252) |
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GULF OF MEXICO - View from above shows Coast Guard Cutter Cypress' skimmer hard at work in a large patch of oil. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Frankie L. Temple. |
On April 20, 2010, while working on an exploratory well approximately 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon experienced an explosion and fire. The damaged platform capsized and sank on April 22, 2010. The rig is owned by Transocean and under contract to BP. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
The Deepwater Horizon rig contained an estimated 700,000 gallons of fuel before it sank. In addition, oil has been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from damaged sections of piping on the sea floor. The government and the commercial parties involved are continuing their efforts to contain and disperse the spill.
More Information |
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New Orleans, Louisiana Oil Spill (Tanker Tintomara Collision with Barge DM932) Response Site |
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On July 23, 2008, a major release of #6 fuel oil occurred in the Mississippi River, in New Orleans, Louisiana. More than 9,000 barrels of oil were released. The release necessitated the closure of more than 80 miles of river to commercial shipping and recreational boating. The river, shorelines, and adjacent wetlands were impacted in much of the area. This incident represents a significant threat to fish, wildlife, and habitat quality. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Contaminants Program and National Wildlife Refuge System personnel have responded to the incident.
More Information (Update for August 17, 2008)
New Orleans, Louisiana Oil Spill Wildlife Rescue Video. (USFWS Video. Added September 8, 2008)
U S Fish and Wildlife Responds to Oil Spill (Video produced by Paradise Louisiana cable television show - July 31)
Efforts to protect wildlife in high gear after oil spill. (Service staff were interviewed for this piece) WWLTV (Louisiana) Eyewitness News story - July 29.
National Public Radio Interview of Steven Alexander, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
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Cosco Busan, San Francisco, California: |
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| San Francisco - Oil booms line a San Francisco, California, beach. November 9, 2007. The beach was closed after oil spilled fram a South Korea-bound container ship after it struck a tower supporting the San Francsico-Oakland Bay Bridge in dense fog. Credit: Desmond Thorsson/U.S. Coast Guard Auxillary. |
September 2011
$36.8 Million Natural Resource Damages Settlement to Restore Natural Resources and Improve Recreational Opportunities in Areas Affected by Cosco Busan Oil Spill
State and federal trustee agencies will use most of the funds from a $36.8 million settlement of natural resource damages to restore natural resources injured by the Nov. 7, 2007 oil spill in the San Francisco Bay and improve Bay Area recreational opportunities impacted by the spill. The funds are part of a $44.4 million settlement with Regal Stone Limited and Fleet Management Limited, the companies responsible for the container ship Cosco Busan that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the bay after hitting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
“This is an excellent example of how the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process can provide for the benefit of all after catastrophe strikes,” observed Susan Moore, Field Supervisor for the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife. "Following the public comment period and finalization of the restoration plan, the settlement will provide outstanding restoration benefiting the fish, wildlife and people of the greater San Francisco Bay area.”
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, The Park System Resource Protection Act, The Oil Pollution Act and The Clean Water Act (Sept 27, 2011, pdf)
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Final Cosco Busan DARP (pdf)
Cosco Busan NRDA Final DARP press release 3/1/2012 (pdf)
App A REA-7-05 Access (pdf)
App B Seabird and Waterfowl Mortality Report Ford Access (pdf)
App C Shorebird Mortality Report Access (pdf)
App D Herring Injury Study (pdf)
App E HEA Inputs Justifications Access (pdf)
App F Rocky Intertidal Injury Details Access (pdf)
App G Baseline Use Report IEc Access (pdf)
App H Fishing Losses Report IEc Access (pdf)
App I Boating Losses Report IEc Access (pdf)
App J Shoreline Use Stratus (pdf)
App K Benthic Inverts Peterson Michel Access (pdf)
App L Trustee Responses to Public Comments (pdf)
App M DOI NOAA FONSIs (pdf)
Supplement to Cosco Busan Oil Spill Draft Natural Resource Damage Assessment Restoration Plan/ Environmental Assessment
Revised Proposal Summary for Restoration of Marbled Murrelets (pdf)
Notice of Fish and Wildlife Service Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill (Sept 27, 2011, pdf)
Cosco Busan NRDA Settlement Press Release (pdf)
Cosco Busan DARP Settlement Newsletter (pdf)
Cosco Busan Draft DARP 9-1-11 (pdf)
Cosco Busan Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Administrative Record Index (Revised Sept 15, 2011, pdf)
Cosco Busan Oil Spill, Administrative Record - Department of Fish And Game website
January 2010 Updates
Cosco Busan FINAL Notice of Intent 1-7-10 (pdf)
Cosco Busan Administrative Review Index 1-14-2010 (pdf)
Cosco Busan .kmz views for Admin Record (2.5MB pdf)
Cosco Busan NRDA factsheet Oct 2009 (pdf)
July 2009 Update: The pilot who caused the Cosco Busan, a 900-foot long container ship, to collide with the San Francisco Bay Bridge and discharge approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, was today sentenced to serve 10 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston for the Northern District of California, the Justice Department announced. Department of Justice News Release:
Prison Sentence for Cosco Busan pilot — Pilot Sentenced to Serve 10 Months in Federal Prison
On November 7, 2007 the cargo vessel Cosco Busan hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge in heavy fog. The impact ruptured the hull (~100 ft x 12 ft and 4 ft deep) and spilled approximately 58,000 gallons of medium grade fuel oil. Most of the oil has spread to central San Francisco Bay and outer coast (North and South of the Golden Gate Bridge). The spill did not make contact with San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex (NWRC) lands in the South Bay or offshore at the Farallon Islands, although oiled birds were found at all of the refuges.
Staff from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California-Nevada Operations Office, Portland Regional Office, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and Burlingame Law Enforcement Office assisted with spill response and natural resource damage assessment at various times.
As of 5 p.m. Dec. 6, 2007, information about the clean-up was as follows:
- Total personnel employed: 440
- Total gallons discharged: Approximately 58,000
- Total birds captured: 1,063
- Total birds cleaned: 783
- Total birds released: 347
- Total birds died in facility: 618
- Total birds dead on arrival: 1,759
- Remaining feet of boom laid out: 1,800
- Federally-listed endangered or threatened species injured or killed include:
The Cosco Busan incident is similar to a spill that occurred 11 years ago. On October 28, 1996, the Cape Mohican spilled approximately 40,000 gallons of Intermediate Fuel Oil very near the site of the current spill. According to Service employees who responded during both spills, the “behavior” of the Cosco Busan spill is very similar to the previous spill which has helped Contaminants and Refuge staff in planning their response and assessment actions.
Fact Sheets:
Cosco Busan Oil Spill (2MB pdf)
Spill Response - Environmental Response and
Restoration Branch (1MB pdf)
Oil Spills and the Public (pdf)
Oil and Nature (pdf)
The Service at Coastal Oil Spills (pdf)
Images From the Spill
USCG Oil Spill Slide Show
Cosco Busan Unified Command Oil Spill Response Site provides a list of closed beaches as well as beaches where the public can assist in cleanup efforts without hazardous material training.
California Department of Fish and Game - Spills and Events: COSCO BUSAN Spill
National Park Service, Golden Gate National Park - Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay
U.S. Coast Guard - Effects of Oil on Wildlife Resources |
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Links:
Albers, P.H. 1998. An Annotated Bibliography on Petroleum Pollution. Version 2007. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD (1.6MB PD) - The (360 page) bibliography is based on a personal reference collection exceeding 2,000 citations and growing at an approximate rate of 50 citations per year. It is primarily a collection of published and readily accessible scientific reports appearing in journals, conference proceedings, serial publications, and books.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Oil Spill Resources for the classroom (designed for the teacher to use in the classroom or as background reference material)
Anna Fiolek, Linda Pikula, and Brian Voss. June 2010. Resources on Oil Spills, Response, and Restoration: A Selected Bibliography. 1.3MB PDF file or 3.0MB Word doc. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service,
National Oceanographic Data Center,
Library and Information Services Division.
The National Response Center (Federal contact for reporting
oil and chemical spills)
Department of the Interior, Office of Environmental Policy
and Compliance, DOI Emergency Preparedness and Response Strategy:
Oil Discharges and Hazardous Substances Releases
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Web Site
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Plan
North Cape (Rhode Island) Oil Spill Restoration
The Tenyo Maru Oil Spill Natural Resource Trustees
Tenyo
Maru oil spill Restoration Plan
U.S. Coast Guard: Marine Safety and Environmental Protection
Response Information
Environmental Protection Agency: Oil Spill Program
National Response Team: Ensuring Effective National Oil and
Hazardous Substance Preparedness and Response
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Office of
Response and Restoration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Damage Assessment
and Restoration Program
- Chalk
Point/Swanson Creek Oil Spill, Maryland
- Tenyo Maru
Oil Spill, Washington
- Apex Houston
Oil Spill, California
- Chevron
Pipeline Oil Spill, Hawaii
- Tesoro Oil
Spill, Hawaii
- Apex
Galveston Oil Spill, Texas
- North
Cape Oil Spill, Rhode Island
- M/V
Kuroshima Oil Spil Restoration Plan
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