In the face of criticism about its policies governing spills from ships, the Navy says it is "working hard" with the Coast Guard and Washington state to improve its record on spills of oil and other pollutants into United States ports.
Spills occur an average of every two days, according to an Associated Press analysis of Navy data. From fiscal 1990 to fiscal 1997, Navy vessels spilled a total of 181,400 gallons of fuel, lubricating oil and other pollutants. And the volume appears to be increasing: spillage increased from 17,000 gallons in 1990 to 66,400 gallons in 1997.
Officials in some states, including Washington Gov. Gary Locke (D), "are concerned because there is little outside policing of Navy spill response." Navy ships are exempt from a federal law that subjects commercials ships to inspections at any time. Paul O'Brien of the Washington Department of Ecology: "We have to depend on the Navy to police itself."
But the Navy has signed an agreement to cooperate with the Coast Guard when responding to oil spills, and a similar deal is underway in Washington state, where the greatest volume of pollutants is spilled. The Navy is also working with businesses and environmentalists in Norfolk, VA, to restore the Elizabeth River.
And the Navy "is looking to new technology" for solutions, such as replacing manual monitors on fuel gauges with electronic monitors and establishing centralized monitoring locations for all fuel and oil pipes and valves (Kramer/Spencer, AP/San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner online/others, 11/21).
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