June 19, 2003 – Late Wednesday, toward the end of the Legislature's mammoth two-day session, it passed a bill which the senators believe will allow the government to resume collecting the property tax money it so desperately needs.
District Judge Thomas K. Moore ordered the government in May to stop collecting and billing for property taxes from 1999 onward until it revises the territory's property tax system, notably its method of assessing the value of property for tax purposes.
The order was a devastating blow to the territory's fragile finances, administration fiscal officials said, cutting off approximately $60 million the government was banking on for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2003.
Senators approved the new legislation in the hope that it will satisfy Moore's conditions for allowing tax collections and billings to resume. Senate President David Jones said several times during the day that the body's legal counsels were at work drafting the measure.
The bill passed on Wednesday provides for assessing real property for tax purposes on the basis of market value, not replacement value – the keystone of Moore's opinion. It will allow the government to issue property tax bills for 1999 through 2004 based on 1998 property assessments. It also creates a Tax Assessor's Revolving Fund consisting of 1 percent of property tax revenues, up to$500,000, each year, which is to be administered by the Finance commissioner and used for data processing equipment acquisition and maintenance and training and staffing in the Office of the Tax Assessor.
In large part the measure is what Gov. Charles W. Turnbull proposed as part of his six-bill package to address the territory's fiscal crisis. The governor said in presenting his tax collection proposal that, presuming the Senate would approve the legislation, he would not sign it into law until and unless Moore advised him that it was acceptable to the court as a means of getting the tax moratorium lifted.
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone said in a release issued Thursday that his amendment to the bill "provides more flexibility in terms of the government implementing this costly but fair system in the event it cannot be accomplished by 2004 as the court has ordered." His amendment, he said, "provides a time certain to allow for persons who may have underpaid to have up to 120 days, as opposed to 30 days, to pay the balance of their property taxes without interest and penalties."
Malone's release stated that taxpayers who subsequently are found to have overpaid their taxes will be credited that amount "for subsequent tax years after 60 days of that redetermination."
Attorney General Iver Stridiron vowed soon after Moore's May ruling to challenge it up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary on the grounds that taxation is a local government matter outside of federal court jurisdiction. Appealing is a notion many have criticized, saying the effort could take years and cost much money.
Moore said on June 2 that he would be willing to reconsider his moratorium if lawmakers could come up with a property tax plan he found acceptable. At a hearing in his St. Thomas courtroom, Moore said he hadn't intended to comment on the Turnbull administration's proposal to collect 1999-2004 property taxes on a voluntary basis – a bill approved by the Senate in a special session the governor called earlier in the year. But Moore said he did so "because it was done at the time the case was actively being litigated." (See "Judge: Legislation could lift tax moratorium".)
Moore said he has no problem with the government collecting property taxes. His concern is with the system used to assess the value of real property for tax purposes. In his May 12 ruling on the consolidated portion of the current tax case involving 11 plaintiffs, he ordered the V.I. government to stop issuing new tax bills until the assessment system is reformed.
The new legislation requires the Office of the Tax Assessor to base property assessments on market value, not replacement value. The government's policy of using replacement value was challenged in a landmark case that resulted in a court settlement in December 2000 that called for the government to revise the property tax system.
In several subsequent cases challenging commercial property assessments, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The most recent, the consolidated case of 11 plaintiffs, ultimately resulted in Moore's ruling, which covers personal as well as commercial real property. (See "Court bars property tax billing and collecting".)
In a related move, a resolution was signed by all majority members but Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg on Wednesday urging Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to negotiate with Hovensa to pay up to $14 million of its next year's property taxes in advance of the date due. Ironically, Donastorg was responsible for the petition, submitted to the governor.
On the Senate floor on Wednesday, Donastorg brandished a letter from Valentino McBean, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico vice president, contesting the pre-payment idea. Donastorg said McBean contends that Hovensa's future real property taxes are pledged to his bank as security for loans for Y2K projects.
Voting for the property tax legislation were Sens. Norman Jn Baptiste, Lorraine Berry, Douglas Canton, Roosevelt David, Emmett Hansen II, David Jones, Shawn-Michael Malone, Luther Renee and Ronald Russell. Sens. Donastorg, Carlton Dowe, Almando "Rocky" Liburd and Celestino A. White voted against. Sen. Louis Hill was absent for the vote, and Sen. Raymond "Usie" Richards was off-island.

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The St. Croix branch of the V.I. Republican party will hold its monthly meeting at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25, at Gertrude's Restaurant.
Registered Republicans and the general public are welcome to attend this meeting.
For more information please call 773-9076.

The V.I. Ancestor Discovery Group meets at 1 p.m. the last Saturday of every month in the Whim museum.
This month's focus is, "Get Moving With Your Research", and anyone interested in family research is welcome to attend.
For more information call Carol Wakefield at 772-0598.

June 18, 2003 – The summer art show season starts off with splash on Friday at Alexander's Café. Make that more than 20 splashes.
"The Art of the Mermaid" is the title of the exhibition, which comprises works by 14 artists who call the Virgin Islands home or a favorite place to visit and a local frame shop.
Many of the artists will be on hand to discuss their work at the opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday. The public is invited to stop by to view the art, engage the artists and enjoy the complimentary champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
The participants are:
– Edie Paljavcsik Johnson and Hang It Up Frame Shop of St. Thomas.
– Helen Eltis, Pam King, Deborah St. Clair, Patty Tacquard, Mandy Thody-MacDonald and Aimee Trayser of St. John.
– Catherine Giraud of St. Croix.
– David Hill of St. Thomas and Boston; Gerard Lehner of New York; Joel Cone, Andrea Marr-Poehl and Robbin Robertson of Texas; and Donna Weaver of Texas and New Mexico
Claire Ochoa, who coordinates the shows at Alexander's, describes the show as one of "fun, folk, fanciful, romantic, realistic and mystical images of the fabled marine creatures." Overall, she says, it's "a captivating presentation of the mysterious mermaid."
The exhibition will hang through July 17. All works are available for purchase.
To see some images from the exhibition in addition to the one shown above, visit the St. John Gallery Web site.
For more information, contact Ochoa by calling 643-6363 or e-mailing to St. John Gallery.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 18, 2003 – The summer art show season starts off with splash on Friday at Alexander's Café. Make that more than 20 splashes.
"The Art of the Mermaid" is the title of the exhibition, which comprises works by 14 artists who call the Virgin Islands home or a favorite place to visit and a local frame shop.
Many of the artists will be on hand to discuss their work at the opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday. The public is invited to stop by to view the art, engage the artists and enjoy the complimentary champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
The participants are:
– Edie Paljavcsik Johnson and Hang It Up Frame Shop of St. Thomas.
– Helen Eltis, Pam King, Deborah St. Clair, Patty Tacquard, Mandy Thody-MacDonald and Aimee Trayser of St. John.
– Catherine Giraud of St. Croix.
– David Hill of St. Thomas and Boston; Gerard Lehner of New York; Joel Cone, Andrea Marr-Poehl and Robbin Robertson of Texas; and Donna Weaver of Texas and New Mexico
Claire Ochoa, who coordinates the shows at Alexander's, describes the show as one of "fun, folk, fanciful, romantic, realistic and mystical images of the fabled marine creatures." Overall, she says, it's "a captivating presentation of the mysterious mermaid."
The exhibition will hang through July 17. All works are available for purchase.
To see some images from the exhibition in addition to the one shown above, visit the St. John Gallery Web site.
For more information, contact Ochoa by calling 643-6363 or e-mailing to St. John Gallery.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 19, 2003 – The fractious and fluctuating Board of Education underwent several transitions at a special meeting on Wednesday. The addition of a new member brought the body to its full complement of nine. Its attorney was absent and another lawyer sat in, although under circumstances that were unclear. And a July retirement date for was announced for its executive director.
The harsh relations among board personnel in the last three months were apparent Wednesday from the moment that Harry Daniel gaveled the meeting to order around 10 a.m. Member Jorge Galiber, ousted as board chair in March, and fellow member Malik Sekou challenged the right of acting chair Daniel to call a special meeting and set the agenda.
The items on the agenda were two – personnel matters and the funding of scholarships.
The personnel matters were discussed in an executive session that lasted for two and a half hours. Afterwards, Daniel announced the board's decision to hold a hearing for Nandi Sekou, whose hiring was announced on March 5 and who was suspended without pay on June 11.
Nandi Sekou, who is the ex-wife of board member Malik Sekou, was hired to replace Ronald Russell, who left the job after winning a seat in the 25th Legislature.
Board members also agreed on Wednesday to pay Nandi Sekou's salary from the time of her suspension until the date of the hearing.
At the time of her suspension, the lawyer was escorted from the board offices by police. According to The Virgin Islands Daily News, the suspension followed an incident between the lawyer and the board's executive director, Evadney Hodge. Following Wednesday's executive session, Hodge had no comment on the pending hearing or the reinstatement of pay for Sekou.
Hodge had been expected to retire shortly. Galiber said that during the executive session she set her departure date for July 7.
Galiber said after the session that he believes there is a connection between the disciplinary measures taken against Nandi Sekou and his lawsuit challenging his removal as board chair. The lawyer said at the March 13 board meeting when the vote was taken that a two-thirds majority vote is needed for such action. That would have meant six votes; five voted for the motion.
Galiber also questioned the circumstances of lawyer Pedro Williams' presence at the Wednesday meeting.
"I don't have any problems with him being hired, because sooner or later the board had to seek some kind of legal advice," Galiber said of Williams. But, he added, "it seems there are certain members of the board who don't want any legal advice from attorney Sekou, and it stems from her legal opinion, which she read, that pertains to what happened when I was ousted by the board members."
With regard to Williams, Galiber said, "the issue that's ticklish is that if an attorney is hired and it's not budgeted, you need to at least inform the board members where this money is coming from, what part of the budget you are going to pay this attorney from … and the hourly rate. Still, to this date, this board has not … determined a contract with this attorney."
Nandi Sekou had been brought aboard at an annual salary of $70,000 according to hiring records provided to the Source.
Daniel had said before the board went into executive session that Williams was present because of the lawsuit brought by Galiber against the board and because of the absence of the board's attorney at the meeting.
When pressed by some other board members, Daniel said Williams had been "hired" after a vote was taken by five members at a meeting held last week. During the executive session, Galiber said that Williams' salary was declared to be between $135 and $200 an hour.
At the March 13 meeting, Daniel, Keith Richards, Linda Thomas, Yvonne Williams-Henry and the late Gerald E. Hodge Sr. submitted a petition calling for Galiber's ouster. Voting against it were Terrence D. Joseph, Clarence Petersen and Malik Sekou. Galiber was not at that meeting.
The school board's brand-new member, former Education Commissioner Liston Davis, said after attending the meeting on his first day on the job that he can see the need for change.
"It was quite an experience," Davis said. "There's a lot of work to be done … If the board is going to be successful, we are going to have to start immediately a rehabilitation process of the members."
The Senate approved the governor's nomination of Davis to succeed Gerald Hodge, who died in April, on Tuesday. At his request he was sworn into office on Wednesday morning in Territorial Court by Judge I've Swan, and from there he went directly to the school board meeting. Davis said afterward that he wanted things done that way because he felt the board would benefit from his immediate participation.
Daniel said he believes that despite the tense and sometimes hostile discourse among its members, the board is fully functional. He also expressed confidence that tensions will eventually ease and give way to greater productivity.
"The board here is working. The board is still doing what is necessary to do to meet all our requirements," Daniel said. "With the little bit of internal things — we're going to get that worked out. We have a full board now, so it shouldn't be any problems with us doing what we need to do to meet our mandates."

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 19, 2003 – The fractious and fluctuating Board of Education underwent several transitions at a special meeting on Wednesday. The addition of a new member brought the body to its full complement of nine. Its attorney was absent and another lawyer sat in, although under circumstances that were unclear. And a July retirement date for was announced for its executive director.
The harsh relations among board personnel in the last three months were apparent Wednesday from the moment that Harry Daniel gaveled the meeting to order around 10 a.m. Member Jorge Galiber, ousted as board chair in March, and fellow member Malik Sekou challenged the right of acting chair Daniel to call a special meeting and set the agenda.
The items on the agenda were two – personnel matters and the funding of scholarships.
The personnel matters were discussed in an executive session that lasted for two and a half hours. Afterwards, Daniel announced the board's decision to hold a hearing for Nandi Sekou, whose hiring was announced on March 5 and who was suspended without pay on June 11.
Nandi Sekou, who is the ex-wife of board member Malik Sekou, was hired to replace Ronald Russell, who left the job after winning a seat in the 25th Legislature.
Board members also agreed on Wednesday to pay Nandi Sekou's salary from the time of her suspension until the date of the hearing.
At the time of her suspension, the lawyer was escorted from the board offices by police. According to The Virgin Islands Daily News, the suspension followed an incident between the lawyer and the board's executive director, Evadney Hodge. Following Wednesday's executive session, Hodge had no comment on the pending hearing or the reinstatement of pay for Sekou.
Hodge had been expected to retire shortly. Galiber said that during the executive session she set her departure date for July 7.
Galiber said after the session that he believes there is a connection between the disciplinary measures taken against Nandi Sekou and his lawsuit challenging his removal as board chair. The lawyer said at the March 13 board meeting when the vote was taken that a two-thirds majority vote is needed for such action. That would have meant six votes; five voted for the motion.
Galiber also questioned the circumstances of lawyer Pedro Williams' presence at the Wednesday meeting.
"I don't have any problems with him being hired, because sooner or later the board had to seek some kind of legal advice," Galiber said of Williams. But, he added, "it seems there are certain members of the board who don't want any legal advice from attorney Sekou, and it stems from her legal opinion, which she read, that pertains to what happened when I was ousted by the board members."
With regard to Williams, Galiber said, "the issue that's ticklish is that if an attorney is hired and it's not budgeted, you need to at least inform the board members where this money is coming from, what part of the budget you are going to pay this attorney from … and the hourly rate. Still, to this date, this board has not … determined a contract with this attorney."
Nandi Sekou had been brought aboard at an annual salary of $70,000 according to hiring records provided to the Source.
Daniel had said before the board went into executive session that Williams was present because of the lawsuit brought by Galiber against the board and because of the absence of the board's attorney at the meeting.
When pressed by some other board members, Daniel said Williams had been "hired" after a vote was taken by five members at a meeting held last week. During the executive session, Galiber said that Williams' salary was declared to be between $135 and $200 an hour.
At the March 13 meeting, Daniel, Keith Richards, Linda Thomas, Yvonne Williams-Henry and the late Gerald E. Hodge Sr. submitted a petition calling for Galiber's ouster. Voting against it were Terrence D. Joseph, Clarence Petersen and Malik Sekou. Galiber was not at that meeting.
The school board's brand-new member, former Education Commissioner Liston Davis, said after attending the meeting on his first day on the job that he can see the need for change.
"It was quite an experience," Davis said. "There's a lot of work to be done … If the board is going to be successful, we are going to have to start immediately a rehabilitation process of the members."
The Senate approved the governor's nomination of Davis to succeed Gerald Hodge, who died in April, on Tuesday. At his request he was sworn into office on Wednesday morning in Territorial Court by Judge I've Swan, and from there he went directly to the school board meeting. Davis said afterward that he wanted things done that way because he felt the board would benefit from his immediate participation.
Daniel said he believes that despite the tense and sometimes hostile discourse among its members, the board is fully functional. He also expressed confidence that tensions will eventually ease and give way to greater productivity.
"The board here is working. The board is still doing what is necessary to do to meet all our requirements," Daniel said. "With the little bit of internal things — we're going to get that worked out. We have a full board now, so it shouldn't be any problems with us doing what we need to do to meet our mandates."

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 19, 2003 – The fractious and fluctuating Board of Education underwent several transitions at a special meeting on Wednesday. The addition of a new member brought the body to its full complement of nine. Its attorney was absent and another lawyer sat in, although under circumstances that were unclear. And a July retirement date was announced for its executive director.
The harsh relations among board personnel in the last three months were apparent Wednesday from the moment that Harry Daniel gaveled the meeting to order around 10 a.m. Member Jorge Galiber, ousted as board chair in March, and fellow member Malik Sekou challenged the right of acting chair Daniel to call a special meeting and set the agenda.
The items on the agenda were two – personnel matters and the funding of scholarships.
The personnel matters were discussed in an executive session that lasted for two and a half hours. Afterwards, Daniel announced the board's decision to hold a hearing for Nandi Sekou, whose hiring was announced on March 5 and who was suspended without pay on June 11.
Nandi Sekou, who is the ex-wife of board member Malik Sekou, was hired to replace Ronald Russell, who left the job after winning a seat in the 25th Legislature.
Board members also agreed on Wednesday to pay Nandi Sekou's salary from the time of her suspension until the date of the hearing.
At the time of her suspension, the lawyer was escorted from the board offices by police. According to The Virgin Islands Daily News, the suspension followed an incident between the lawyer and the board's executive director, Evadney Hodge. Following Wednesday's executive session, Hodge had no comment on the pending hearing or the reinstatement of pay for Sekou.
Hodge had been expected to retire shortly. Galiber said that during the executive session she set her departure date for July 7.
Galiber said after the session that he believes there is a connection between the disciplinary measures taken against Nandi Sekou and his lawsuit challenging his removal as board chair. The lawyer said at the March 13 board meeting when the vote was taken that a two-thirds majority vote is needed for such action. That would have meant six votes; five voted for the motion.
Galiber also questioned the circumstances of lawyer Pedro Williams' presence at the Wednesday meeting.
"I don't have any problems with him being hired, because sooner or later the board had to seek some kind of legal advice," Galiber said of Williams. But, he added, "it seems there are certain members of the board who don't want any legal advice from attorney Sekou, and it stems from her legal opinion, which she read, that pertains to what happened when I was ousted by the board members."
With regard to Williams, Galiber said, "the issue that's ticklish is that if an attorney is hired and it's not budgeted, you need to at least inform the board members where this money is coming from, what part of the budget you are going to pay this attorney from … and the hourly rate. Still, to this date, this board has not … determined a contract with this attorney."
Nandi Sekou had been brought aboard at an annual salary of $70,000 according to hiring records provided to the Source.
Daniel had said before the board went into executive session that Williams was present because of the lawsuit brought by Galiber against the board and because of the absence of the board's attorney at the meeting.
When pressed by some other board members, Daniel said Williams had been "hired" after a vote was taken by five members at a meeting held last week. During the executive session, Galiber said that Williams' salary was declared to be between $135 and $200 an hour.
At the March 13 meeting, Daniel, Keith Richards, Linda Thomas, Yvonne Williams-Henry and the late Gerald E. Hodge Sr. submitted a petition calling for Galiber's ouster. Voting against it were Terrence D. Joseph, Clarence Petersen and Malik Sekou. Galiber was not at that meeting.
The school board's brand-new member, former Education Commissioner Liston Davis, said after attending the meeting on his first day on the job that he can see the need for change.
"It was quite an experience," Davis said. "There's a lot of work to be done … If the board is going to be successful, we are going to have to start immediately a rehabilitation process of the members."
The Senate approved the governor's nomination of Davis to succeed Gerald Hodge, who died in April, on Tuesday. At his request he was sworn into office on Wednesday morning in Territorial Court by Judge I've Swan, and from there he went directly to the school board meeting. Davis said afterward that he wanted things done that way because he felt the board would benefit from his immediate participation.
Daniel said he believes that despite the tense and sometimes hostile discourse among its members, the board is fully functional. He also expressed confidence that tensions will eventually ease and give way to greater productivity.
"The board here is working. The board is still doing what is necessary to do to meet all our requirements," Daniel said. "With the little bit of internal things — we're going to get that worked out. We have a full board now, so it shouldn't be any problems with us doing what we need to do to meet our mandates."

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 18, 2003 – Protection of marine habitats and conservation of natural resources are widely regarded as integral elements of the territory's future economic and environmental stability. This belief and the issue of sustainability of U.S. coastal resources are the underpinnings of a five-day workshop under way on St. Thomas on the prevention and control of oil spills.
Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard 7th District, the program is taking place at Marriott Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort. Its focuses are on proper methods of response to such incidents and on providing information about such topics as the chemicals that may be encountered in a "damage-control" situation.
The workshop, which runs through Friday, has four major components:
– Providing an overview of information and misinformation regarding the function of dispersants – chemical agents designed to enhance the transfer of oil from the water's surface in order to mitigate the environmental impact of oil spills. Dispersants do not remove the oil; rather, they break an oil slick into small particles which then disperse into the water where they are further broken down by natural processes.
– Focusing on ecological risk assessment in tropical/subtropical environments.
– Utilizing the participants' ideas, concerns and recommendations from the first two components to create a dispersant use evaluation "response tool" to guide decision makers in formulating responses to oil spills based upon resource concerns and tradeoffs.
– Presentation of the "response tool" to the Caribbean Regional Response Team and Area Committee for review and adoption or further development.
Monday's program covered dispersants and the consequences of not pre-planning for an oil spill. "There is always a penalty for not pre-planning," Charlie Henry, NOAA site and support coordinator, said. "For example, take a look at the damage done to habitats — more animals are being exposed to lethal and sub-lethal impacts."
The best response, Henry said, will be part of a contingency plan that includes such actions as:
– Looking at the well-being of all living things with a stake in the response, such as birds, shorelines, fisheries, corals and mangroves.
– Investigating such elements as cost and ecosystem recovery.
– Consulting local resource experts.
– Developing scenarios with other members of Area Committees.
Within such scenarios, dispersants play a big part. Applied correctly, these agents make oil less toxic and greatly reduce its concentration so that slicks don't spread as rapidly.
Dispersants work like detergents, Henry explained, reducing surface tension between the water and the oil. This "permits the oil to break into tiny droplets, which then degrade into a more naturally occurring substance," he said.
There is currently pre-approval by federal agencies for the use of dispersants within one-half mile of shore for Puerto Rico and within one mile of shore for the Virgin Islands. Limits may vary due to the proximity of coral reefs, marine habitats, etc.
Dispersants are not always the most reliable option for the treatment of oil spills. "It is generally recommended that dispersants be used when there is a definable, positive environmental benefit," Henry said. He condemned the use of such chemicals in a case in 1967 in which a vessel named the Torrey Canyon hit a reef and spilled six tanks of oil. The dispersants air-dropped onto the spill by Navy pilots turned explosive. "The solvents in this case were more toxic than the oil," Henry said.
He said that a more recently developed chemical dispersant called Corexit 952 has been found to be lethal. First banned in Jamaica, it has since been taken out of production.
For further information on oil spills, pre-planning and damage control, visit the NOAA Response and Restoration Web site and U.S. National Response Team Web sites.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

June 18, 2003 – Protection of marine habitats and conservation of natural resources are widely regarded as integral elements of the territory's future economic and environmental stability. This belief and the issue of sustainability of U.S. coastal resources are the underpinnings of a five-day workshop under way on St. Thomas on the prevention and control of oil spills.
Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard 7th District, the program is taking place at Marriott Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort. Its focuses are on proper methods of response to such incidents and on providing information about such topics as the chemicals that may be encountered in a "damage-control" situation.
The workshop, which runs through Friday, has four major components:
– Providing an overview of information and misinformation regarding the function of dispersants – chemical agents designed to enhance the transfer of oil from the water's surface in order to mitigate the environmental impact of oil spills. Dispersants do not remove the oil; rather, they break an oil slick into small particles which then disperse into the water where they are further broken down by natural processes.
– Focusing on ecological risk assessment in tropical/subtropical environments.
– Utilizing the participants' ideas, concerns and recommendations from the first two components to create a dispersant use evaluation "response tool" to guide decision makers in formulating responses to oil spills based upon resource concerns and tradeoffs.
– Presentation of the "response tool" to the Caribbean Regional Response Team and Area Committee for review and adoption or further development.
Monday's program covered dispersants and the consequences of not pre-planning for an oil spill. "There is always a penalty for not pre-planning," Charlie Henry, NOAA site and support coordinator, said. "For example, take a look at the damage done to habitats — more animals are being exposed to lethal and sub-lethal impacts."
The best response, Henry said, will be part of a contingency plan that includes such actions as:
– Looking at the well-being of all living things with a stake in the response, such as birds, shorelines, fisheries, corals and mangroves.
– Investigating such elements as cost and ecosystem recovery.
– Consulting local resource experts.
– Developing scenarios with other members of Area Committees.
Within such scenarios, dispersants play a big part. Applied correctly, these agents make oil less toxic and greatly reduce its concentration so that slicks don't spread as rapidly.
Dispersants work like detergents, Henry explained, reducing surface tension between the water and the oil. This "permits the oil to break into tiny droplets, which then degrade into a more naturally occurring substance," he said.
There is currently pre-approval by federal agencies for the use of dispersants within one-half mile of shore for Puerto Rico and within one mile of shore for the Virgin Islands. Limits may vary due to the proximity of coral reefs, marine habitats, etc.
Dispersants are not always the most reliable option for the treatment of oil spills. "It is generally recommended that dispersants be used when there is a definable, positive environmental benefit," Henry said. He condemned the use of such chemicals in a case in 1967 in which a vessel named the Torrey Canyon hit a reef and spilled six tanks of oil. The dispersants air-dropped onto the spill by Navy pilots turned explosive. "The solvents in this case were more toxic than the oil," Henry said.
He said that a more recently developed chemical dispersant called Corexit 952 has been found to be lethal. First banned in Jamaica, it has since been taken out of production.
For further information on oil spills, pre-planning and damage control, visit the NOAA Response and Restoration Web site and U.S. National Response Team Web sites.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.