Inland Oil Spills: Stronger Regulation and Enforcement Needed to Avoid Future Incidents
RCED-89-65
Published: Feb 22, 1989. Publicly Released: Feb 27, 1989.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the adequacy of federal regulation of above-ground oil storage tanks and the federal inland oil spill removal program.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress may wish to amend the Clean Water Act to explicitly authorize the federal government to recover the costs of monitoring oil spill cleanups performed by private responsible parties. | Congress has amended the Clean Water Act in accordance with the recommendation. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | To improve the likelihood that above-ground oil storage tanks are built to industry standards and decrease the chances of future damaging oil spills, the Administrator, EPA, should amend the oil pollution prevention regulations to require that: (1) above-ground oil storage tanks be built and tested in accordance with industry or other specified standards; (2) facilities plan how to react to a spill that overflows the facility boundaries; and (3) storm water drainage systems be designed and operated to prevent oil from escaping through them. |
Action on revising regulations has stalled.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | To better ensure the safety of the nation's above-ground oil storage facilities and decrease the chances of oil being discharged into the environment, the Administrator, EPA, should strengthen the EPA above-ground oil storage facility inspection program by: (1) developing, in coordination with state and local authorities, a system of inspection priorities, based on a national inventory of tanks; (2) developing instructions for performing and documenting inspections; (3) defining and implementing minimum training needs for inspectors; and (4) establishing a national policy for fining violators. |
Resource limitations have prevented a major increase in inspections.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | To better ensure the safety of the nation's above-ground oil storage facilities and decrease the chances of oil being discharged into the environment, the Administrator, EPA, should determine the advantages and disadvantages of supplementing EPA inspection resources by: (1) using state and local inspection resources; and (2) requiring that facilities obtain certification from independent engineers that facilities are in compliance with regulations. |
No action has been taken or planned on this recommendation due to higher agency priorities.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | With the goal of improving responses to future oil spills, the Administrator, EPA, should determine whether to reestablish the oil spill research and development program, taking into account anticipated benefits, costs, and program priorities. |
No specific research on inland oil spills has been undertaken due to budget constraints.
|
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Topics
Emergency preparednessFines (penalties)Inland waterwaysInspectionLaw enforcementOil spillsPetroleum storagePollution monitoringTanks (containers)Water pollution