The first source of pollution that seems to be a biggest challenge is activities concerned with boats and ships. As activities, such as maintenance, fueling, repair, and painting cannot be restricted; a pollution prevention strategy must be carried out instead. Limiting various activities like boat/ship painting, blasting, sanding, and stripping to a specific area, can help prevent pollution to a great extent.

Vessel operations are the next source of pollution! Every vessel owner or operator must ensure that vessel sewage is managed properly and effectively. Improper discharge of bilge water that is contaminated with oil, fuel, or other contaminants is illegal. So, use oil spill cleaners like Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 to remove the port oil spills before subjecting your boat/ship for bilge pumpout. Oil spill removers should also be used while loading and unloading of vessels as there are pretty good chances of oil leaks. Dry dock maintenance and non-dry dock containment are some vital factors to be considered. Above all recycling of materials like glass, aluminum, plastic, trash, newspapers, and batteries in specific collection facilities can be of great help.

Besides these factors, other possible pollutants include heavy metals, hydrocarbons, toxic chemicals, and PCBs. It is high time that we start realizing the seriousness of this issue and put a stop to the pollution occurring in marinas, boatyards, and ports.

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A similar situation arose in 2007 in Port of Los Angeles. The US EPA found that four tenants of Port of Los Angeles were discarding wastes into San Pedro Harbor. Oil and greasy wastes, metals, acidic wastewater, and other industrial pollutants were some of the trash dumped into the harbor. These violations came to light when the U.S. EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Quality Control Board conducted an inspection covering ports located in Los Angeles and Long Beach. These firms were later fined for violating the Clean Water Act!

One thing is pretty clear from the Port of Los Angeles issue. Apart from waste management plans and environmental laws, an effective cooperation between the port officials and the tenants is needed to keep the ports free of pollution!

Port oil spills and wastes can be minimized to a certain extent, but completely avoiding them is way beyond reality. So, there undeniable has to be an effective remedy to deal with environmental issues in ports and harbors. If chemical cleaners and detergents are used to get rid of the wastes, then there is every chance that these cleaners make their way into the ocean waters. So, idea of substituting chemical cleaners with eco-friendly cleaners should reinforced.

Oil Gone Easy S-200 is a green formulation that will prove helpful while clearing out oil wastes. It will also not cause any kind of environmental threat. This product makes use of oil-eating micro organisms to convert oily wastes into nontoxic byproducts. With such eco-friendly products and a deep sense of respect for nature, we will definitely be able to make our planet clean and green!

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One best example is the East Deerfield Rail Yard that has witnessed quite a lot of contaminations over the years. This oil contamination is a consolidation of spills due to various rail yard operations at the former locomotive fueling island, petroleum-contaminated soil, and an underground fuel tank leakage. So, to clean up these spills, Pan Am Railways hired a consulting firm – Environmental Resources Management (ERM) for investigating the East Deerfield rail yard oil spills. On April 13, 2011, this firm submitted a draft of the plan.

The plan targets four contaminated areas, three oil-contaminated soil areas, and an area that is contaminated by chlorinated solvents. According to ERM’s investigation, excavating the oil-contaminated soil will be the prime action plan. The plan also states that the time that will be taken for this excavation process will depend upon the depth of contamination.

As part of the plan, a vacuum system will be employed to remove the solvents. The work of this vacuum system is to remove vapors from the soil and filter them effectively. Serious monitoring will be commenced in all sites to ensure that the contamination level drops to a minimum. Finally, a review will be conducted by the State Department of Environmental Protection to check if the contamination drop has reached the acceptable levels.

What seems to be the biggest challenge with rail yard oil spills is the treatment of oil-contaminated soil. But, with green oil spill removers like Oil Gone Easy S-200, cleaning oil spills from soil will be easier than imagined.

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Alaskan oil spill: The story of BP’s safety record starts from the well-known Prudhoe tragedy in Alaska Bay pipeline spill in Alaska in 2006. The corroded pipeline used by BP was one of the prime reasons for the tragedy in Alaska. It was told that the use of such out of shape equipment was mainly to cut off maintenance costs. It also came into light that BP threatened some of its workers as they raised safety issues over the firm’s operations in Alaska.

Falsifying Inspections of Fuel Storage Tanks in California: California officials found that BP falsified inspections of fuel tanks that did not meet the required safety regulations. However, the firm settled the lawsuit filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for $100 million!

Texas Refinery Explosion: Lack of significant process safety issues had caused the explosion at Texas City refinery, which killed 15 people and injured 170. A BP spokesperson said that the firm would revise its safety system, but it remained just a statement! Consequently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the firm $87 million last year for failing to accomplish what it had promised to do.

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill: This oil spill is one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S history. Failure of about eight different safety systems, including improperly sealed borehole, improper gas detection system, and valve failures had caused this massive oil spill.

BP’s terrible safety record doesn’t end here. The firm was also held responsible for many oil tragedies including the Exxon Valdez oil spill! When oil companies show a pattern of negligence to safeguard their finances, don’t you think an effective spill response plan should be in place. Using Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200, an environmentally safe oil remover should be the choice of nature lovers!

The reason for the Montana oil spill is stated as the rupture of an ExxonMobil pipeline that carries crude oil from Belfry, Montana to the company’s refinery situated in Billings. However, the cause for the rupture still remains a mystery. When asked about this oil  pipeline accident, Pam Malek, the company spokeswoman said that the pipe broke out just before midnight and leaked huge barrels of oil for half an hour continuously until it was shut down. Before the company officials could figure out the actual estimation of the Montana oil spill, the situation worsened as the oil spread beyond the river’s banks. However, a rough estimation has been made and reported that about 42,000 gallons of crude oil was spilt into the river.

Over hundreds of people residing along a 32km stretch were evacuated for the fear of potential explosions and intense fumes engulfing the area. But, they were asked to return to their homes when the fumes got reduced considerably.

This pandemonium wouldn’t have occurred if the safety measures were intact. However, the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company has deeply regretted for this pipeline accident and has deployed many crews to clean up the mess.  While the cleanup of the spill in itself is a herculean task, the flooding of the river further added to the woes.

Even though boomers and various absorbent materials were used to prevent the spread of this spill, they did not manage do it. There were instances where the oil just flowed from beneath the booms and resulted in the oil spreading further out in the river. This is a common scenario with most oil spills. On the other hand, usage of green oil spill removers like Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 in such cases can not only help prevent the spill from spreading, but will also get rid of the oil completely.

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First Time Sailors – Boat Safety Tips!

Do you have a passion for sailing, but lack the much needed confidence? Then, following simple tips will help you sail like a professional! First and foremost, wear your life jacket all the time. It is the best friend for all first time sailors out there. Before getting into the waters, know the safe speed limits and abide by them.

As safety should be the first thing on your mind, inspecting the weather conditions is also crucial! Never venture into the sea without ensuring if your boat insurance is in order. Above all, check if the boat you will be sailing is sea worthy. Beware of oil spills. As there are stringent laws attached when it comes to water pollution. Unobserved but incessant oil spills can not only damage your boat, but can also pave way for some heavy penalties!

Taking care of your boat is very important in terms of personal and environmental safety. The first step in boat care is proper cleaning. It’s always good to wax or paint your boat once in a while. Flush your engine every time it’s out on the shore, and remember to cover it after the job is done. Check the batteries of your boat; you could get into trouble in mid sea if you don’t. Most importantly, pay a lot of attention to your boat’s bilge!

The boat’s bilge is the lowermost section where two sides meet. This part of the ship is prone to oil spills and collects water and oily residues, often causing a foul odor. Oil spews out from the engine and through a series of limber holes, eventually makes its way into the sea. No need to explain what it does to the marine ecosystem! So, cleaning your bilge is extremely important.

You can get a number of chemical bilge cleaners out in the marine hardware stores. However, most of them are harmful chemicals and when they are let into sea water after cleaning; the situation becomes worse than the oil spill itself. Some sailors place absorbent pads around the engine to soak up the leaking oil. These pads just suck up the leaking oil, but never remove it entirely. So, you should ideally be using eco friendly spill removing products.

Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 is one such formulation that uses oil eating bacteria to cleanup oil spills. Available in 5-gallon pails, you even stock up this eco-friendly oil spill cleaner in your boat before you leave on your sailing trip and get a clean boat and an oil-free marine ecosystem! Let’s march towards a green planet!

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Oil Spills and Their Impact on Fisheries!

Fishery and aquaculture production, the most vital sources of food and livelihood, have witnessed a tremendous progress over the last few decades. Valued as high-revenue generators, fisheries have become the victims of depletion in recent times. Apart from threats like overfishing and massive destruction of wetlands, a new threat has popped out– marine oil spills. Believe it or not! The National Marine Fisheries Service has stated that 90 fish species have been found depleted off the shores of the U.S.

What impact do oil spills have on fisheries? Well, the consequences are more serious than we imagined. Though the oil spilt out of damaged pipelines, tankers, or offshore oil rigs may seem to be insubstantial, the problems encountered are really high. Marine mammals like whales, dolphins, seals, and sea otters are severely affected by oil spills. Though these mammals survive the effects of oil spills, they don’t escape from their contaminated food supply.

When marine oil spills can take a toll on the big sea mammals, small fishes and other marine life are no exceptions. Not many are aware how severely the shrimp and oyster fisheries along the Louisiana coast were affected by the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil spill. Included in the affected list are fish eggs or larvae, which have been wiped away once for all. One best example quoting this problem is the Exxon Valdez oil spill that affected billions of salmon and herring eggs.

Though a lot of effort is put on the cleaning up of spilt oil, some traces of oil still lurk behind. The reason is that marine oil spills don’t leave the water at ease as they cling to every rock and grain of sand. The best solution to get rid of the oil completely is to make use of bioremediation agents.

Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 is one good choice for effective oil spill treatments. This eco-friendly oil stain remover has been subjected to rigorous testing, so it can be used on a large scale basis. So, let’s fight these marine oil spills and save our fisheries from extinction!

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International Oil Spill Conference

Oil experts from all over the globe gathered for the International Oil Spill Conference at Portland during the last week of May. Lingering truths, new facts about the Gulf oil spill, and above all, the use of chemical oil dispersants were discussed in this conference. However, a million-dollar question that kept cropping up was the methods employed for the cleanup of the Gulf oil spill.

About 2 million gallons of Corexit were used to disperse off the 200 million gallons of oil released. The use of this chemical dispersant resulted in a 100 million gallons of oil and Corexit mixture spread across the ocean. When asked about the use of this dispersant in the ocean waters, the US Coast Guard officials said that Corexit was proven to be safe and scientifically justified. They also mentioned about studies conducted in Norway which explained the safety of Corexit, and argued that there is no life down the ocean to be affected by this chemical.

However, according to biologists who work for Applied Science Associates, Inc, the tests performed in Norway were not conclusive. They also claimed that life forms exist in the deep that are very likely to come in contact with this dispersant. If you’re a nature lover, then you would definitely not support the use of Corexit. Most of the members of this oil spill conference were of the opinion that the government is less transparent and people are not fully informed about oil spills.

With such instances cropping up every now and then, most environmentalists are calling for the use of environmentally-friendly cleaners when such large scale oil cases are encountered.

Oil Gone Easy S-200 is an eco-friendly oil spill cleaner that degrades oil in a biological way. Initial field tests were performed on the Gulf samples with this product, and now it is being considered to clean up the Gulf waters. If this product is used in future emergency situations, then there would never be a question of environmental safety!

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Concrete Oil Spill Cleanup Made Easy!

With the increasing oil spill tragedies in the sea, there is so much talk about oil spills these days. Yet, most of us fail to notice the oil spills that occur at our homes every day. Do you often wonder why your driveway is turning grayish day by day? The reason might be pretty much evident. Check if your car is spilling too much oil.

Anyway, you car might not be the only source for concrete oil spills at your outdoors. Vehicles of your visitors or passer-by trucks can also spew oil in front of your gateway. These are situations you have no control over. However, you cannot sit idle after knowing that there’s a spill. So, here are some tips for you to cleanup those unsightly concrete oil spills.

It’s best to avoid wire scrubs to cleanup spilt oil from your concrete driveway. Besides leaving a lot of oil intact, these scrubs damage the concrete surface too. In addition, ground water safety is also at stake. If you want to safeguard your ground water, then do not, at any cost, seal the oil spilt area with fresh cement. This method causes a certain amount of oil seepage into the ground, and in the long run has a toll on the water table.

Do you use chemical oil dispersants to cleanup oil spills on your concrete driveway? Then, we suggest you better stop doing it. Chemicals especially muriatic acid and silane siloxane that are used in these cleaners erode the concrete surface leaving a permanent scar. Sometimes, people use kerosene to remove oil spills. Besides being very tricky to handle, kerosene also raises environmental concerns.

So, the best alternative to all these techniques is to go green. By doing this, you’ll not only be saving yourself, but the environment too. Try Oil Gone Easy Home & Driveway S-200, an eco-friendly oil spill cleaner, to cleanup oil spills. This green oil spill cleaner uses oil eating bacteria to clean up the spill. It can be used on concrete, asphalt, granite, and many other surfaces without compromising on environmental and personal safety.

The Impact of Highway Oil Spills on Traffic!

Highway accidents due to oil spills are not uncommon. However, highway traffic hold ups due to oil spills is one thing we could have experienced, but not given a second thought. There need not necessarily be an accident to hold up the traffic, just a spill is enough.

Recently, a semi truck roll over was reported on Kings Highway, just north of Rampart Blvd overpass. Not only was the truck’s driver injured in the accident, even the traffic came to a standstill. It was reported that large oil drums in the truck spilled as many as 1000 gallons of oil into the dirt.

A similar, but more serious incident was reported on I-95 in Stratford, where a trailer tractor spilled 25 gallons of gasoline near Exit 34. Even though no accidents or injuries were reported, the oil spill delayed traffic on the right and middle lanes of the highway for more than an hour. Even the entire northbound traffic was also held up for about five minutes. The area was reopened for use only after a sand truck scattered sand all over the place. A fireman who was at the scene, termed the surface as dangerous and slippery.

In San Leandro, two lanes on the transition ramp from southbound Interstate Highway 880 to southbound Interstate Highway 238 were closed down due to a big-rig accident. Consequently, the oil tank was punctured leading to an oil spill in that area. No injuries were reported. The lanes remained closed as the clean-up crews removed the truck and started the clean-up operations. Just as in the case of above incidents, there was a heavy delay in traffic.

So, isn’t it pretty evident from the above cases, that whenever there are accidents involving oil spills, there should be an effective remedy to clear out the oil spill? Instead of using chemical cleaners or sand, it’s always a safer and effective option to use green spill cleaners like Oil Gone Easy S-200.

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