Research Paper on "Aftermath of BP & Exxon Valdez"

Research Paper 8 pages (2549 words) Sources: 6

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Second, they should make sure that they give the people of the city good advice about what to do when an oil spill occurs. This includes what to do, what not to do, how to avoid dangerous exposure to the oil and/or the tainted water and so forth. Another general thing is that the city should not be acting on its own as they should be part of the solution and not part of the problem. One consideration to keep in mind is that responding to an oil spill or any other natural disaster is that money has to be spent. So long as the city works with and not against or instead of the federal government, then support in the form of funding and resources will be there. One thing to keep in mind is that a response might not be as immediate as is desired. In the meantime, there should be the proper evacuations and closures so as to ensure that public safety is held paramount. Until the danger subsides, any areas affected by oil spills should be kept free of anyone aside from necessary personnel such as police, federal agency members and authorized private sector companies that are assisting (EPA, 2015; DOT, 2015; HSAJ, 2015).

Other Considerations

There are other considerations to take into account when talking about the response to an oil spill. First of all, there are going to be a lot of people that want to an oil spill yet their understandings and education about the matters and safety involved are less than optimal. Meaning, people that are ill-suited to respond to an oil spill should probably just stand aside or at least wait to take orders from someone from a national response team or someone that is otherwise authorized to direct oil spill cleanups. Second of all, there will obviously be loss of business and damages for a city that is at or near the coast. However, initial responses should focus on the spill itself and not how to clean up the legal and business matters involved. Another consideration is that many of the methods to clean up oil may actually make things worse in some ways. For example, dispersants are meant to break up the oil and prevent damage but dispersants themselves are actually toxic and should only be used in certain instances (Bostrom et al., 2015).

Another consideration would be communication among the responders. A huge plus to having a single top of the proverbial food chain is that all information will flow through that upper echelon of responsibility. Rather than having ten, fifty or one hundred different groups all doing their own thing, it is far better and more effective to have a single and centralized point of communication so that efforts are not counteracted, duplicated or otherwise wasted. Even newer technologies and mediums can be used up to and including social media and other Web 2.0 interfaces. These mediums can also be used to communicate with the public. The public can be advised on what is being done, the progress that is being made and what will be done to aid them logistically, financially and otherwise as the aftermath of a spill plays out (Walker et al., 2015)

Next up, there are actually some silver linings to things like the Gulf Oil Spill and the Exxon Valdez spill. One would include the opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to see a spill in real life rather than watching a movie about it or being told what to do when the time comes. For example, some graduate students got the opportunity to work in and around the after-effects of the British Petroleum oil spill and they gained some experience that cannot be replicated or enhanced because it is as real as it gets. Principles that can be taught or reinforced include the following of procedures, using science to solve real-world problems, using the scientific method and engaging in collaborations with scholars, other students or people overseeing the operations (Schulenberg, Johnson, Drescher, Herzog, Willoughby & Allen, 2014).

Finally, the responses to oil spills are and should also be planned in all areas of the United States and this would include the Midwest. For example, there are pipelines that cut through areas of the Midwest. Further, there are many oil and petroleum companies that operate in the Midwest. Just one example is Koch industries. The Midwest is not a big oil-producing area of the world but there is some of it going on and there are indeed companies that move it and use it on a massive scale. Indeed, one of the major Regional Response Teams (RRT's) of the Environment Protection Agency specifically covers the Midwestern United States. (Brody, Bianca & Krysa, 2012).

Conclusion

Oil spills like Exxon Valdez and the BP debacle are thankfully rare. However, they do happen and they are probably unavoidable due to the massive amounts of oil and gas that are extracted, processed, shipped and consumed. Acceptable speed and quality of response is critical as is making the victims of the oil spill whole after the fact. The federal government has been and should still run point on such matters.

References

Bostrom, A., Walker, A.H., Scott, T., Pavia, R., Leschine, T.M., & Starbird, K. (2015).

Oil Spill Response Risk Judgments, Decisions, and Mental Models: Findings

from Surveying U.S. Stakeholders and Coastal Residents. Human & Ecological

Risk Assessment, 21(3), 581-604. doi:10.1080/10807039.2014.947865

Brody, T.M., Bianca, P.D., & Krysa, J. (2012). Analysis of Inland Crude Oil Spill

Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Emergency Response in the Midwest United

States. Risk Analysis: An International Journal, 32(10), 1741-1749.

doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2012.01813.x

DOT,. (2015). Department of Transportation. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 23 April 2015, from http://www.dot.gov/

EPA,. (2015). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Epa.gov. Retrieved 23 April 2015,

from http://www.epa.gov/

HSAJ,. (2015). Public-Private Partnerships in Homeland Security: Opportunities and Challenges | HOMELAND SECURITY AFFAIRS. Hsaj.org. Retrieved 23 April

2015, from https://www.hsaj.org/articles/233

Nolo,. (2015). BP Oil Spill Lawsuits and Legal Issues | Nolo.com. Nolo.com. Retrieved 23 April 2015, from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/bp-oil-spill-lawsuits-legal-33442.html

United States Code,. (2015). OLRC Home. Uscode.house.gov. Retrieved 23 April 2015,

from http://uscode.house.gov/

Walker, A.H., Pavia, R., Bostrom, A., Leschine, T.M., & Starbird, K. (2015).

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