EPA proposes revised spill response regs

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed regulations specifying new and revised toxicity and efficacy tests for dispersants and other chemicals used in offshore oil spill responses. The new regulations, which come in reaction to issues raised during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, also include requirements for manufacturers to provide additional health and safety information for the regulated materials.

The regulations also spell out revised area planning requirements for the authorization of the use of chemical and biological agents, as well as new dispersant monitoring requirements when dealing with some oil discharge situations.

“Our emergency officials need the best available science and safety information to make informed spill response decisions when evaluating the use of specific products on oil discharges,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Our proposed amendments incorporate scientific advances and lessons learned from the application of spill-mitigating substances in response to oil discharges and will help ensure that the emergency planners and responders are well-equipped to protect human health and the environment.”

According to a preamble to the proposed regulations, the response to the Deepwater Horizon spill involved the deployment of more than 1 million gallons of dispersant onto surface oil slicks over a three-month period, and the injection of three quarters of a million gallons of dispersants into the oil flowing from the out-of-control well. EPA is now trying to address questions over the efficacy, toxicity, environmental tradeoffs and monitoring challenges that this dispersant usage raised, EPA said in the preamble.

- Alan Bailey