Bush moves quickly as three more oil spills hit U.S.

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 10

Bush moves quickly as three more oil spills hit U.S.

NZPA-Reuter Newport, Rhode Island Bush Administration officials, still smarting from allegations of sloth over the Alaska oil spill disaster, moved quickly to limit damage from a leak after a tanker hit submerged rocks off Newport, Rhode Island. Oil from the Greek tanker World Prodigy, which leaked four million litres of home heating fuel into Narragansett Bay on Saturday (New Zea-

land time), after hitting a reef, spread up to 32km north of the vessel The spill, which threatened a traditional recreation area where millionaires have homes and America’s Cup yacht races have been staged, was one of three incidents within 24 hours in which oil leaked from vessels into American waters. In Galveston Bay, Texas, oil leaked from a barge after a collision with a tanker. A Coast

Guard spokesman, Mark Kennedy, said that although the 3km long slick had reached the shoreline, damage appeared to be minimal. A Uruguayan tanker went aground in the Delaware river 25km from Philadelphia, spilling an estimated 400,000 litres of oil, the Coast Guard said. Most of the oil was contained by booms, and skimmer vessels were deployed to scoop up the rest.

Light heating oil from the World Prodigy washed on to several beaches in Newport. All local beaches were closed and shell-fishing was banned. Officials of the Environmental Protection Agency said heating oil does not sink, like the crude oil spilled in Alaska in March from the tanker Exxon Valdez, but is more toxic. They closed shellfish beds until at least July 2. Mr Bush had dispatched a high-level team to New-

port to investigate the spill. The team included the Secretary of the Interior, Manual Lujan, and William Reilly, director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr Bush came under heavy criticism for waiting four days in March before sending Federal resources to contain the Exxon Valdez spill of 42 million litres of crude oil in Alaska — the worst spill in United State’s history.