Feds aim to boost requirements for oil spill dispersants
Posted on January 13, 2015 at 5:29 pm by Jennifer A. Dlouhy
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed new requirements for testing the toxicity and effectiveness of chemical dispersants used to break up oil spills.
The move comes 14 years after the agency first announced it planned to rewrite rules governing dispersants and five years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster vividly illustrated shortcomings in existing mandates.
The proposed rule aims to strengthen the requirements dispersants must meet before they can be added to a government schedule of chemicals that may be authorized for use on spilled oil.
