Coast Guard: Improved Analysis of Vessel Response Plan Use Could Help Mitigate Marine Pollution Risk
Abstract
Pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of1990, the Coast Guard issued regulations requiring tankers and other large vessels to develop VRPs that identify the resources that would respond to an oil spill, including a spill resulting from a fire or explosion. The Coast Guard reviews VRPs against certain regulatory requirements, such as time frames for response. In remote locations with limited response resources, those seeking VRP approvals may request to use APC for responses instead. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 included a provision for GAO to review the VRP program. This report examines the Coast Guard's processes for assessing (1) VRPs against regulations and (2) requests for use of APC. GAO reviewed VRP regulations and guidance, analyzed VRP-related data, and interviewed Coast Guard personnel, and industry officials - selected based on geographic location and to obtain a variety of different perspectives. Information from these entities is nongeneralizable, but provides insight into VRP processes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1175331
Entities
People
- Benjamin Crossley
- Breanne Cave
- Charlotte Gamble
- Christopher Hatscher
- Dawn Hoff
- Emilio Fonseca
- Eric Hauswirth
- Jason Blake
- John Mingus
- Molly Ryan
- Nathan Anderson
- Susan Hsu
- Terry Richardson
- Tracey King
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office