[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 7 (Monday, January 22, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S182-S183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WORST OILSPILL IN RHODE ISLAND HISTORY

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I rise to share with my colleagues the 
latest news on what has been identified as the worst oilspill in Rhode 
Island's history.
  As many of you may know from news accounts, the barge North Cape, 
carrying a cargo of about 4 million gallons of heating oil, and the tug 
Scandia 

[[Page S183]]
grounded off the southern Rhode Island coast in the early evening on 
Friday.
  The grounding followed a fire that broke out Friday afternoon on the 
tug, later engulfed the vessel and required the subsequent last minute 
evacuation of the captain and crew by the U.S. Coast Guard.
  That evacuation was successful because of the enormous courage and 
skill of the Coast Guard rescue team, who did not hesitate to put 
themselves at great personal risk to rescue the captain and crew.
  Coast Guard Fireman Adam Cravey and Seaman Walt Trimble, who were the 
first to arrive at the scene aboard a 44-foot Coast Guard boat, found 
six men wearing survival suits huddled on the bow of the tug--which was 
engulfed by fire.
  The six jumped into the water to swim to the Coast Guard boat and 
Fireman Cravey, who was in a wet suit and was tethered to the Coast 
Guard boat, jumped in to assist them. All were safely ashore about 2\1/
2\ hours after the first emergency call.
  Mr. President, I want to emphasize that this rescue was conducted 
under extremely difficult conditions, including high winds and rough 
seas, in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.
  I understand that the Coast Guard had warned mariners from Maine to 
New Jersey of a period of potentially dangerous winds from 40 to 50 
knots, with higher gusts, and seas from 15 to 25 feet.
  It was under extraordinarily difficult winter storm conditions that 
the Coast Guard effected the rescue and attempted, unsuccessfully, to 
prevent the barge and burning tug from running aground. The barge, 
dragging the burning tug, grounded in shallow water off Matunuck Point 
Beach, near Point Judith.
  Pounded by strong winds and high seas, the 340-foot, single-hull 
barge began to spill oil early Saturday from holes in at least two 
places. Current estimates of the spill are in the range of 828,000 
gallons.
  Transporation Secretary Frederico Pena, Coast Guard Commandant 
Admiral Kramek, and other Federal officials came to us in Rhode Island 
to evaluate the spill on Saturday, as efforts continued to contain the 
escaping oil and off-load what oil remained aboard the barge.
  Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond appealed for Federal help on Sunday, 
declaring a state of emergency and identifying the spill as ``the worst 
in Rhode Island's history and one of the worst ever off the coast of 
New England.''
  The toll on marine life apparently has already been heavy. Thousands 
of oil-coated lobsters, dead and living, have washed up along several 
hundred yards of beach near the barge. Dozens of seabirds have died and 
scores more have been coated in oil.
  The barge is close to Moonstone Beach, a breeding ground for the 
endangered piping plover and the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, 
an environmentally fragile habitat. An estimated 75,000 waterfowl live 
in the refuge area, including rare harlequin ducks.
  Fishing also was banned in a 105 square-mile area, from Point Judith 
south to waters east of Block Island. A number of shellfishing areas 
also were closed.
  The good news is that Rhode Islanders rose to the occasion. Hundreds 
of Rhode Islanders, their efforts coordinated by Save the Bay, 
volunteered to help the emergency response crews by cleaning everything 
from beaches to birds. The Coast Guard was magnificent in its response.
  Additional good news came with a phone call from President Clinton to 
Governor Almond, assuring him that funds would be made available for 
the cleanup and fishing industries.
  This tragedy has not yet played itself out, but we should ask some 
hard questions when we have all the facts.
  Among the most obvious questions, that have crossed my mind: Why were 
the tug and barge underway in such treacherous and dangerous weather 
conditions? Should we have weather related restrictions on the 
transportation of toxic or hazardous materials in coastal waterways? 
Could this incident have been avoided by better fire-safety procedures 
or by a more rapid response? Could it have been mitigated by more 
aggressive prevention and containment measures?

  It is unfortunate, Mr. President, that this barge was not of the new 
double-hulled design--which I have long advocated. I understand that it 
leaked from 9 of its 14 containment holds. A double-hull might have 
made all the difference between an incident and a disaster.
  Finally, I think that everyone would benefit from a thorough review 
of the coordination of our emergency response to oilspills. We should 
make sure that every agency with a role in this crisis, worked smoothly 
with every other agency.
  It has been a difficult time in Rhode Island and, unfortunately, our 
difficulties are not over. We do not yet know the extent of our 
disaster. On the Federal level, we should do all we can to expedite the 
assistance and expertise that is required for that recovery.
  In closing, I emphasize the fine job the Coast Guard did and my own 
respect for their gallant service.
  I yield the floor.

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