The Problem: Dispersants
During the 2010 BP oil disaster, unprecedented amounts of toxic oil-based dispersants were used to allegedly minimize harm to people and wildlife from the crude oil itself, based largely on oil industry rhetoric.
Aerial spraying and deep sea injection of dispersants continued daily, for months. Nothing like this had ever been tried before — it was all a giant experiment.
The post-disaster science rewrote what was known or presumed to be true about Corexit dispersants. Oil-dispersant mixtures create a toxic cocktail that is deadly to wildlife and humans—much more toxic than oil alone.
Once the truth was exposed, the manufacturer discontinued making and selling Corexit dispersants. However, stockpiles exist around the world and are available for immediate use during marine oil spills including in every coastal state in the U.S.
This affects everyone.
The EPA is now required to maintain and update national emergency response plan for oil spills based on accurate and truthful new or relevant information concerning impacts or potential impacts of the product to human health or the environment. This is good news for some 133 million Americans who live near the coasts—that’s 39 percent of the U.S. population. But the EPA and your state lead agency need to hear from YOU about why YOU don’t want them to use Corexit dispersants.
It’s not a matter of if, but when the next oil-related disaster will occur.
Take a stand! Demand EPA and the states BAN Corexit dispersants.
Our Solutions
Legal Action
On August 19, 2024, ALERT and allies petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the new rules to remove, with cause, Corexit oil dispersants from the list of products authorized for use in oil spill response. Removing them would ban use.
The 2023 rules, obtained through ALERT’s lawsuit:
- Provide rules to remove a product if the Manufacturer has provided technical information as part of the listing process that is misleading, inaccurate, incorrect, and outdated.
- Allow a 2-year transition period for products to be tested under the new, more stringent rules that will eliminate the more toxic products.
- Allow old products to be used during the transition period until December 12, 2025, UNLESS there is cause to remove a product earlier.
Citizen Action
One-minute ways you can help.
The Advocate Toolkit.
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