In the U.S., what precautions have been taken to reduce the likelihood of oil spills?
A. Regulations and laws enacted in the United States during the past 10 years or so have greatly improved prevention of oil spills. These have included safety regulations, requirements for construction of new oil tankers (such as requirements for double hulls), procedures for responding quickly when ships run aground so they can be refloated without spilling oil, and more rigorous inspection requirements. Of these laws, the most important is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, passed by Congress after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Not all oil spill prevention focuses on technology issues. Human factors play a very important role in spill prevention. You can find out more information about this topic at these U.S. Coast Guard Web sites: the Prevention page, the Prevention Through People (PTP) program, and the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection Web page.
