APPLICATION FOR EPA PERMITS TO DISCHARGE OIL FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES: REVISED INTERIM GUIDELINES

摘要

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) has prepared revised guidelines on discharging oil into U.S. waters to assist research efforts on the prevention, preparedness and response to oil pollution that cannot be conducted in a laboratory, test tank, or other facility. The revised guidelines update the 1971 guidelines developed for the same purpose. Under these guidelines, the applicant for an oil discharge permit should; 1) provide data on the methods used to assess the environmental effects of the proposed test; 2) provide information and demonstrate (if possible) that the proposed test site has been selected to minimize adverse environmental impacts; 3) assess the potential impacts of the proposed test on the aesthetic, recreational, and economic uses of the proposed test site; 4) address potential impacts to public health; 5) describe how expected environmental effects will be controlled; 6) provide an opportunity for public participation in the permitting process; 7) provide a detailed description of the proposed test site; and 8) include a description of the geology, hydrology, water quality, ecology, climatic and any other environmental factors that could effect the petroleum discharge and the site. EPA recognizes that bench- and meso-scale testing has prompted interest in field testing (using intentional discharges of oil) on a larger scale than was contemplated when the original guidelines were issued in 1971. The Agency has, therefore, removed the 1,000-gallon upper limit on the size of the permitted oil discharge in the original guidelines. The Agency is aware, however, that the discharge of greater volumes of oil will require correspondingly greater efforts to protect the public health and environment. EPA will therefore closely examine the justifications for large-volume discharge applications (greater than 1,000 gallons) to determine whether the proposed discharge size is justified.