A Tank Collapse Releases Fuel into the MonongahelaRiver 1891 containment system and emergency plans in the event of a spill are required, along with regular inspection by the EPA and contracted agencies. At the state level, Governor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania appointed an investiga- tive committee to determine the cause of the disaster. Preliminary studies showed that, of the sixty-five hundred above-ground storage tanks in the state, many were substan- dard and were without safety plans. Ashland Oil Company conducted internal studies, and as a result of the Floreffe episode, the company inspected all of its tanks. Ashland was required to pay a federal criminal fine of $2.25 million for violating two environmental laws, the federal and the . The company paid $11 million in cleanup costs and $30 million to various parties. The money settled lawsuits by parties who, because of water shutoff, lost wages or had interrupted business. It also compensated the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and for damages to resources. The settlement fine that was given to the three states for damage to natural resources was used to study the effect of the on river ecosystems over a period of five to six years. These studies, carried out under the joint direction of the PADER and the Ohio River Sanitary Commission, include groundwater analysis and wildlife studies. The complexity of the oil spill emergency highlighted the need for careful local emergency planning. The first to arrive at the scene were local emergency officials, then county, then state, and finally, federal officials. Each agency knew its role and responsibility, but the intergovernment agreements and relationships were unclear. There was confusion as to who had decision-making authority, who could act inde- pendently, and who had to be consulted. For example, it was not clear who had the authority to order the water supply opened and closed. Response and action were therefore delayed. The emergency response procedure and the reactions of the workers and commu- nity members were analyzed by the faculty at the University of Center for Social and Urban Research. Two studies were completed under the direction of Jeanette Trauth of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pitts- burgh. Both of these studies made recommendations regarding emergency response plans for a community with hazardous materials. The disastrous oil spill of 1988 set back ten years of successful efforts to clean up the Monongahela River. Most of the previous experience and technology regarding oil spills was applicable to oceans and lakes and not to fast-moving streams. The collapse of the storage tank and the subsequent contamination of the river by diesel fuel led to new requirements for spill containment and emergency procedures as well as to regular safety inspections by EPA officials.

Bibliography Germann, Ray. "Oil Spill on the Monongahela: As the Story Unfolded." EPA Journal 14 (April, 1988): 35-37. A summary of the Ashland oil spill episode from the viewpoint of the EPA public relations office. Gibson, Michael M. Environmental Regulation of Petroleum Spills and Wastes. New