Why Oil Drilling Is Both Safer And Riskier Since Exxon Valdez
A lot has changed for the energy industry since the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in 1989 and began spilling oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. The outcry over images of oil-soaked wildlife and a once-pristine shoreline dirtied by crude ushered in greater scrutiny of oil operations and increased interest in research on how to clean up oil spills.
But while regulation may be tighter and spill response more robust today, companies are working in more challenging environments than they were 25 years ago. Fracking shale underground and drilling in remote places like the Arctic and below the ocean floor, experts say, also means a greater risk of accidents.
Just before the Exxon Valdez disaster, domestic support for oil spill research had waned. The federal government had shut down an outdoor testing lab on a naval base in Leonardo, N.J.
But the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ordered the facility and its 667-foot-long saltwater pool re-opened. Today, Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy test facility, is busier than ever. The crew is working year-round — even importing ice to simulate Arctic conditions.
"We're at about 85 to 90 percent capacity at this moment," says Paul Meyer, program manager with federal contractor MAR, Inc. "We're running, almost every week, a different test and a different scenario."
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