COAST GUARD PICKS SITES FOR SPILL RESPONSE

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to store oil spill cleanup equipment at 19 cities within 2 years. The 1990 Oil Pollution Act requires the Coast Guard to stockpile additional equipment, although the act gives the oil industry the primary responsibility for providing most spill response equipment. The cities are Boston; Portsmouth, Va.; San Juan, P.R.; Corpus Christi, Tex.; Detroit; Astoria, Ore.; Anchorage, Alas.; New London, Conn.; Charleston, S.C.; Miami; Galveston, Tex.; Eureka, Calif.; Seattle;

Aug. 5, 1991

2 min read

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to store oil spill cleanup equipment at 19 cities within 2 years.

The 1990 Oil Pollution Act requires the Coast Guard to stockpile additional equipment, although the act gives the oil industry the primary responsibility for providing most spill response equipment.

The cities are Boston; Portsmouth, Va.; San Juan, P.R.; Corpus Christi, Tex.; Detroit; Astoria, Ore.; Anchorage, Alas.; New London, Conn.; Charleston, S.C.; Miami; Galveston, Tex.; Eureka, Calif.; Seattle; St. Louis; Mayport, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; New Orleans; Long Beach, Calif.; and Honolulu.

The Coast Guard said the 19 cities were chosen because they are logical hubs for storing equipment for rapid deployment in various regions and because petroleum shipments into those ports make them susceptible to spills.

Equipment at each site will include two skimmers, two portable floating bladders for oil storage, and 2,500 ft of containment boom.

The Coast Guard has stored 2,000 ft of containment boom at each of the 49 Coast Guard units around the country, established a Strike Force Coordination Center, added a third Coast Guard strike team, and modified some Coast Guard cutters so they can be used as pollution cleanup vessels.