EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For the nation, the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout and release was unprecedented in scope,scale, and duration. While the response system established by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990(OPA 90) has effectively dealt with approximately 1,500 oil spill incidents per year since itsenactment, this incident exposed deficiencies in planning and preparedness for an uncontrolledrelease of oil from an offshore drilling operation. The incident also highlighted the differencesbetween the system of response for oil spills and that provided for other emergencies such asnatural disasters and terrorist incidents.
Over the past decade, both public and private sector investment in planning and preparedness forand response to oil spills has decreased. If the public and Congress expect significantimprovements in this Nation’s ability to respond to catastrophic oil spills, additional funding willbe needed for improvements, which include research and development and increasedgovernmental oversight of private sector preparedness and response capability. To be effective,such oversight should begin at the outset of the offshore drilling permit process. This reporturges that planning and preparedness programs be reviewed, and that adequate funding beprovided to enhance oil spill preparedness and response programs so they can effectively addressan offshore Spill of National Significance.
https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/climate/docs/BPDWH.pdf