Birds and Oil Don't Mix

[pnutchuck]

Another reminder of the many costs of imported oil: This week a tanker carrying crude oil from Venezuela spilled more than 30,000 gallons of the stuff into the Delaware River near Philadelphia. Thousands of ducks and geese were coated in oil that leaked from a gash in the Greek-owned ship. Five hundred birds were already dead as rescuers took more oil soaked animals to a nearby wildlife preserve. The Coast Guard has set up miles of protective booms around the ship and at 12 places where the river meets smaller creeks in an effort to contain the environmental damage.

The more we ignore renewable energy and conservation, the more tankers will come into our bays and rivers, risking more accidents. In case anyone's missing the point here, the 30,000 gallons of imported crude oil that spilled would have refined enough gasoline for just 13 people to drive their Hummers this year.

Read more in our Newsroom

[pnutchuck]

1. The link didn't post

Here it is http://www.lcv.org/News/News.cfm?orgid=Insider12012004&ID=3484&c=27&UID=16546004ADB6FEF8BF&MX=546&H=1

[seafan]

2. LAT, 12-4-04: Spill now estimated at 473,500 gallons

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spill4dec04,1,3384101.story?coll=la-headlines-nation


<snip>

When the Greek tanker Athos I began leaking heavy Venezuelan crude into the river the night of Nov. 26, it appeared to be a manageable spill confined to a riverside terminal — just 30,000 gallons, according to estimates.

But authorities now warn that it could be as much as 473,500 gallons, a gooey mess that has spread to 70 miles of shoreline across three states.

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The Athos I is a single-hulled tanker. Federal laws passed after the Exxon Valdez spill required single-hulled ships in the U.S. to be gradually replaced with double-hulled by 2015.


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Federal law limits owners' liability based on a ship's tonnage. In the case of the Athos I, the liability would be about $45 million.

After touring the riverbank this week, U.S. Sens. Jon Corzine and Frank R. Lautenberg, both New Jersey Democrats, said they would introduce a bill next week to abolish such liability caps for single-hulled ships.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-spill4dec04,1,3384101.story?coll=la-headlines-nation