Many more oil and chemical spills occur on land than on water, a fact that is not really surprising considering the many tens of thousands of kilometers of pipelines that criss-cross both producing and consuming countries and the huge number of transfers between pipelines, storage facilities, rail tankers, and road tankers that take place on a daily basis throughout the world. Most of these spills go unre-ported in the media as they do not generate dramatic visual images that are associated with vessels in distress. One consequence of the greater focus on coastal or marine spills has been that very often there is a higher level of concern for spills on water when these events take place. This has led to a greater emphasis on research and planning for marine or coastal spills as compared to land spills. For example, the analysis of sensitivity issues, the concept of net environmental benefit, and the evaluation of cleanup endpoints have been the subject of much discussion for marine and coastal spills, yet these topics largely have been ignored for oil spills on land. Similarly, there are few dedicated manuals or guidelines for oil spills on land compared to the plethora of manuals for spills on water. Nor has there been a study for oil spills on land comparable to the comprehensive "Oil in the Sea" review (NRC, 1985), which is currently being updated. This brief overview of response strategies for spills on land uses comparisons between land and water spills to highlight similarities and differences that are important for the decision process and for the establishment of cleanup endpoints.
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