Introduction

In the first part of this volume Dr. Boesch and Mr. Herschner tell us that scientific knowledge about oil pollution in the marine environment is at a very primitive stage. The long-term effects of chronic, low-level contamination by hydrocarbons are largely unknown. Even the short-term effects of massive, widely scrutinized accidents remain highly controversial. Decisions made in the next few years to expand offshore oil production and related facilities will necessarily be based on very limited ecological information.

Dr. Milgram, in discussing technological aspects of the oil spill problem, reminds us that oil spills result from human as well as technical error. Thus, solutions must address the institutional side of oil-handling procedures, including regulations, contingency plans, and personnel training.

The Energy Policy Project commissioned these two papers—one on the ecological, and the other on the technological aspects of oil pollution—to bring together in one place an overview of current knowledge about the effects of oil spills and the efficacy of preventive safeguards.

The United States will continue to depend largely on oil—at least for the remainder of this century—to fuel our transportation system. The nation will also continue to use oil as in industrial energy source and increasingly as a raw material for important products such as plastics and fertilizers. Whether produced in and around the United States or imported from abroad, oil will continue to pose risks of polluting accidents.

As plans progress for expanding our supplies of petroleum through domestic production in northern Alaska and in undersea fields on the nation's continental shelves, the risks of oil pollution are being debated in the press and other forums. The prospects for rapid construction of refineries and other petroleum facilities put oil spill discussions on the agendas of federal, state, and local agencies responsible for approving or disapproving such facilities. Growing international trade in oil is also making spill prevention and control the subject of international negotiations and treaties.