RESPONDING TO VESSEL GROUNDINGS AND OIL SPILLSIN NATIONAL PARKS AND MARINE SANCTUARIES

摘要

The United States National Park System containsover two million acres of submerged lands, and the nation'sthirteen marine sanctuaries have over 18,000 square miles ofocean waters and habitats. From the public's perspective,national parks and marine sanctuaries are public goods thatshould be protected for future generations. Historically, however,response operations within these protected waters have notconsistently preserved the environmental integrity of the nation'svaluable resources. Vessels are often abandoned and remainaground, thereby emitting residual oil and physically damagingcoral reefs and seagrass beds after the responders have removedthe accessible oil. Additionally, responders often fail to consultwith natural resource trustees and, as a result, physically damagethe environment during response operations. This paper presentscase studies and lessons learned from vessel groundings and oilspill response operations in national parks, marine sanctuaries,and other protected areas, from the Point Reyes NationalSeashore to the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary. The topics ofNatural Resource Trustee consultations, application of the OilSpill Liability Trust Fund, effective use of the Unified CommandSystem, response cost internalization methods, and ecologicalsustainability are logically presented to argue for a moreproactive and consistent national response posture in protectedwaters.“Surely our people do not understand even yet therich heritage that is theirs…Our people should seeto it that they are preserved for their children andtheir children's children forever, with theirmajestic beauty all unmarred.”- President Theodore Roosevelt (Shullery, 1979).