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Pages 7-18

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From page 7...
... Liquid petroleum, whether crude oil or refined products such as tar, lubricating oil, gasoline, or kerosene, possesses many properties and contains many individual toxic compounds that can make such releases harmful to the environment. Thoughtful decisionmaking about the extent of petroleum extraction and use must therefore include a thorough understanding of the potential nature, location, and frequency of releases and the ecological risk they pose the environment.
From page 8...
... production. Figures 1-2 and 1-3 illustrate projections of consumption and production of oil and natural gas in the United States for the next 20 years (National Energy Policy Development Group, 20011.
From page 9...
... production (millions of barrels per day) at 1990-2000 growth rates (Energy Information Administration, 2000; National Energy Policy Group, 2001~.
From page 10...
... crease is related to the transportation sector and more specifically, to motor vehicles. Significant increases in landbased runoff of petroleum hydrocarbons can be expected as a by-product of this increased consumption.
From page 11...
... The biological consequences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) have been well studied, resulting in significant insights and raising important questions about lethal and sublethal impacts of oil exposure (Box 1-1~.
From page 12...
... 72 O OlISpills19B5-19B9 ' V~sselName #' CHIS~I~ 19~1999 S~HInfo Sad Date . SpillVdlume{tonnes)
From page 14...
... Prior to and since the 1985 NRC report Oil in the Sea, there have been a series of studies undertaken to examine the load of petroleum hydrocarbons to the marine environment. The majority of studies has focused on quantifying the volume from tanker spills, and many have been conducted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
From page 15...
... Furthermore, because of the greater availability of data for North American waters, the NRC was asked to evaluate spatial and temporal trends in the release of petroleum hydrocarbons to those waters. Finally, the NRC was asked to review the tremendous number of studies on the fate and effect of petroleum in the marine environment that had been published since the release of Oil in the Sea (NRC, 1985)
From page 16...
... Based on these discussions, the NRC formally committed to undertake the study in the spring of 1998, and the Committee on Oil in the Sea was formed that summer (Appendix A; Box 1-2~. SOURCES, LOADS, FATES, AND EFFECTS A comprehensive examination of the input, fates, and effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the marine environment is a major undertaking.
From page 17...
... The fundamental nature of the problem has not changed significantly since 1985, but some progress has been made, especially in terms of our understanding of the pattern of petroleum release in North American waters and in the understanding of how petroleum can impact the environment. However, extrapolating from general estimates of volumes released to specific magnitude of effect at a given location is still largely beyond the ability of the science.
From page 18...
... Land-based runoff of petroleum hydrocarbons can be expected to increase with consumption unless steps are taken to reduce the release of petroleum from consumption-related activities. Exxon Balder as Seminal Moment On March 24, ~989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, en route from Valdez, Alaska, to Los Angeles, California, ran aground on Thigh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska.


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