Реферат: Oil Spills Essay Research Paper Oil is

The Refuse Act, which was first enacted in 1899, makes it a crime to allow refuse

to enter navigable waters. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, makes it a crime to kill certain

birds. These laws were not intended to apply to an oil spill, but prosecutors use them to

intimidate and punish individuals without an obvious connection to a spill. The single

most positive improvement that Congress can make to the legal regime, is to amend the

Refuse Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, to make them inapplicable to oil spills

covered in the Clean Water Act. Oil Spill Wildlife Management (OSWM), in business

since 1989, is a wildlife consulting firm. OSWM offers it?s clients an alternative to the

wildlife dilemma. Donjon Environmental Marine Services is a synergistic organization

created to provide the maritime industry with responsive, and cost-effective answers to

meet the requirements of The Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Garner Environmental Services

provides a 24 hour emergency response for any type of pollution incidents. Garner

Environmental Services specializes in the management of disposal of waste streams, and

maintains a fleet if equipment and drivers to transport these waste streams from industries

on the Gulf Coast. Clean Venture Inc. is a leading contractor in handling waste, and

hazardous oil materials. Since, it?s establishment, Clean Venture Inc., has responded to

more than five thousand oil and hazardous material spills and has performed over ten

thousand projects, ranging in size from 1,000 to 3,000,000 dollars.

How can we prevent oil spills? The US oil and natural gas industry, supplies more

than 65 percent of America?s energy. ?By nearly every measure, the volume of spills in

US waters has been on a steady downward trend since 1973,? states Captain James D.

Spitzer, the chief of the US Coast Guard?s Office of Investigations. Most spills that occur

are usually small, based on data from the US Coast Guard. In 1997, more than

three-fourths of the spills in US waters were under ten gallons of oil, which is less than a

car?s fuel tank can hold. From the year of 1989, the year of the Exxon Valdez accident,

the amount of oil spilled in US waters has declined from fourteen million gallons to 1.1

million gallons spilled in 1997. Every part of the modern petroleum industry has

contributed to the progress being made. Exploration and production facilities use

advanced materials and techniques, with plenty of back up safety systems. Pipelines use