Gulf War oil spill place it several times the size (by volume) of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The "New York Times" reported that a 1993 study sponsored by UNESCO, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States found the spill did "little long-term damage": About half the oil evaporated, were recovered and to washed ashore, mainly in Saudi Arabia. More recent scientific studies have tended to disagree with this assessment. Marshlands and mud tidal flats continued to contain large quantities of oil, over nine years later, and full recovery is likely to take decades. Dr.
Oil spill governance in the United States The OPA is the primary legislation that governs oil spills in the U.S. The establishment of the OPA substantiated the federal government's role in responding to oil spill cleanups. The OPA made amendments to the already existing CWA to provide 3 options to the delegated authorities through the president. The options include conducting immediate cleanup by federal authorities, to monitor the response of the responsible party or commandeer the cleanup activities of the responsible party. Hence giving the federal government the authority to determine the level of cleanup required. A second significant amendment the OPA makes to the CWA is