Evaluating integration of bioremediation into contingency planning and policy for oil spills in the marine environment: A decision analysis

Petroleum is a predominant commodity and energy resource in modern society. A catastrophic oil spill overwhelms both emergency response resources and the environment's natural ability to recover. This dissertation considers integration of bioremediation into the response and mitigation efforts pursuant to a catastrophic oil spill in the marine environment. Non-proprietary biological response options (the Enriched Ballast Water (EBW) and the Surface Fertilization (FERT) response options), based upon plentiful and readily available oil-degrading microbial populations and materials, were developed from information found in the scientific literature.; Experts with credentials in oceanography, microbiology, and/or microbial ecology were questioned to validate the response models and to obtain subjective probabilities on the effectiveness of the proposed treatment strategies when applied to a hypothetical one-million liter oil spill. All experts had previously published peer-reviewed scientific papers on petroleum biodegradation or metabolism. Vendors of bioremediation products were asked to assess the probabilities of outcomes following treatment of the same hypothetical oil spill in order to evaluate the potential for using products currently listed on the National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule. The assessments were used to evaluate the decision to bioremediate oil spills with NCP-listed products and to further develop the decision framework.; A decision analysis framework was used to evaluate policies regarding the use of bioremediation to mitigate oil spills, and to develop, evaluate, and recommend tactical response strategies for oil spill cleanup. The framework was used to design a prototype expert system, BioRemediation Advisor (BRAD), which provides guidance in choosing a bioremediation strategy and in the use of EBW/FERT in response to an oil spill in the marine environment.; This dissertation adds to the dialog on bioremediation and to the growing body of information and tools for use in environmental management. Current US policies were validated by this study, because of the relatively high level of uncertainty about costs, effectiveness, and outcomes. This research provides additional general guidance for future data-gathering for bioremediation response plans and for the actual implementation of a bioremediation response to an oil spill crisis. The dissertation offers specific policy proposals for the use of bioremediation as an integrated part of oil spill response and mitigation.