Oil spill governance in the United States oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico suggest more can and should have been done in this area. Evidence of this fact is present in the recommendations and investigations present in the January 2011 report by the recently established National Oil Spill Commission. A further sign of lack of proper governance is implicit in the action of the federal government to rename and reform the Minerals Management Service (MMS) into the now Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. The 1989 "Exxon Valdez" oil spill served as a major focal point in oil spill governance and reform. Prior to
NEPCO 140 oil spill and national volunteers for months. Clean-up of the oil was accomplished primarily by intensive hand labor, through power-washing shorelines and hand cutting and hauling contaminated underwater and marsh vegetation. The clean-up was terminated on October 22, 1976; 122 days after the spill. However, many areas with oil contamination were not cleaned-up and the oil was left to degrade naturally. The United States alleged it spent $8,062,981 to clean its territorial waters and reimbursed Canada, pursuant to an executive agreement for their $768,265 spent.<ref name="http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/664/664.F2d.327.81-6084.1608.html"></ref> NEPCO 140 oil spill The NEPCO 140 Oil Spill took place in 1976 near Clayton, New