Number: 1990-11
WHEREAS, inland waterways provide direct sources of drinking water to municipalities, and recharge aquifers that serve as drinking water sources for many other areas; and
WHEREAS, our inland waterways provide essential wildlife habitat, breeding areas, migration routes and food sources for land and aquatic animals; and
WHEREAS, our inland waterways provide a vital transportation link for commodities such as grain, coal, chemicals, and petroleum, from our interior land mass to coastal and world markets; and
WHEREAS, our inland waterways provide numerous sport and recreational opportunities and uses for millions of users; and
WHEREAS, a recent vessel oil spill of 150 gallons on the upper Mississippi River contaminated the river system and affected 250 ducks, and the next catastrophic spill like the January, 1988, Ashland Oil spill on the Monongahela River, or the March, 1989, Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, is waiting to happen; and
WHEREAS, between 1980 and 1987, 244 vessel spills and 218 facility spills were reported on the Upper Mississippi River, and it has been predicted that 75 vessel spills and 71 facility spills will occur in 1990; and
WHEREAS, oil spills and toxic releases, of which approximately 80% occur on land and drain into our waterways, are not adequately prevented, cleaned up, or mitigated under current local, state or federal programs, and the existing regulations addressing these problems are rarely enforced; and
WHEREAS, regulated materials such as petroleum products, fertilizers, organic chemicals, industrial chemicals and lime, which are all classified as hazardous materials, totaled 12% of the approximately 900,000 barges passing through locks in the Mississippi River in 1984; and
WHEREAS, insufficient monitoring of inland waterway activities and poor preparation for mishaps results in inadequate response to toxic releases and environmental contamination; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have inadequate resources, manpower and equipment to quickly contain and clean up major spills in order to minimize the threat of human health and environmental damage; and
WHEREAS, the failure to reduce risks to drinking water supplies, rivers, waterways, and ecosystems from toxic chemical spills may also be attributed to a failure to prepare, fund, implement and test oil and chemical emergency plans; and
WHEREAS, Congress has established a goal to adopt comprehensive oil spill prevention and liability legislation by March 24, 1990, the first anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 15-18, 1990, in Denver, Colorado, urges Congressional action requiring the regulation of inland and other waterways by federal and state authority to adequately protect the nation’s drinking water supplies, wildlife habitats, transportation efficiency and recreational opportunities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges Congress and the President to enact, by the first anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill, a strong oil spill law that allows states to be stricter than federal authorities, and that deals with issues of oil spill liability, compensation, contingency planning, taxes, clean-up, enforcement, tanker safety, areas of critical concern, and fish and wildlife response plans; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges adequate funding by local, state and federal agencies to allow appropriate emergency planning and full public knowledge of hazardous materials used within or near communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports recent action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prohibit the transport of hazardous cargo in single-hulled barges within the Upper Mississippi River Refuge Complex, to minimize the possibility of a hazardous material spill, but urges that such safety measures be more widely required; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation recommends development of hazardous material response plans and resource information, which may include maps, spill notification contacts, location and type of containment equipment, potential spill sources and rapid communication methods, for all local, state, regional and federal agencies involved with or responsible for inland waterways management; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the inclusion of environmental criteria when categorizing materials hauled on inland waterways; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports sharply increased penalties for spillers, violators of safety and environmental rules, and those who fail to immediately notify authorities about spills; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges comprehensive information and education programs to increase public awareness of individual responsibility for commercial and private uses of inland waterways.