	Background

OPA amended the Clean Water Act and established provisions  expanding and consolidating the federal government’s authority to  prevent and respond to oil spills. It also designated member  agencies and authorized the President to designate other federal  agencies as members of the interagency committee. The Status of Restoration Efforts

According to the Exxon Valdez Trustee Council’s 2014 restoration plan  update—its most recent assessment of injured resources and services— all but 5 of the 32 natural resources and human services identified as  injured by the spill have recovered, are recovering, or are very likely  recovered. The Exxon Valdez Trustee Council remains particularly concerned about  the health of the Pacific herring population and the presence of lingering  oil. In May 2018, we accompanied researchers working with  the trustee council to the spill area and observed the excavation of three  pits that revealed lingering oil roughly 6 inches below the surface of the  beach, as captured in figure 3. The Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council Has Used 13 Percent of the Restoration Trust Fund, and Most Restoration Activities Are in the Initial Planning Phase

Since the federal and state governments reached a final settlement with  BP in 2016 and the Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council finalized a  programmatic restoration plan, four trustee implementation groups have  issued initial independent restoration plans. In addition, 7 of the 15 officials we interviewed from member agencies  suggested that other federal agencies could be relevant to the  committee’s research efforts. In addition,  some trustee council members told us that they were not even aware that  the interagency committee existed. Under OPA, one of the interagency committee’s responsibilities is to  coordinate with federal agencies and external entities on an oil pollution  research program that includes methods to restore and rehabilitate  natural resources damaged by oil spills. In addition, the interagency committee does not coordinate with the  NRDA trustee councils that manage the large restoration funds and  monitor the restoration of damaged resources after a specific spill, such  as the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills. Coordinating with  the NRDA trustee councils could help ensure that the interagency  committee’s oil spill research program is effectively supporting the  damage assessment and restoration efforts of the councils, and better  knowledge sharing between groups and leveraging its members’ oil spill  research resources. (Recommendation 1)
The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard should direct the chair of the  Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research, in  coordination with member agencies, to coordinate with the relevant  Natural Resource Damage Assessment trustee councils to help ensure  that the interagency committee’s research informs and supports the  councils’ damage assessment and restoration efforts. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) how the Natural Resource Damage Assessment  (NRDA) trustee councils have used the restoration trust funds for the  Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills and the status of the  restoration efforts; (2) the status of the Interagency Coordinating  Committee on Oil Pollution Research’s (interagency committee) oil spill  research efforts and how coordination of such efforts has changed since  we last reported on it in March 2011; and (3) what literature suggests  about the effectiveness of various oil spill response techniques in the  Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico. To examine how the NRDA trustee councils used the restoration funds  from the Exxon Valdez oil spill (from October 1992 to January 2018) and  the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (from April 2012 to December 2017) for  restoration and the status of the restoration efforts, we obtained data from  each trustee council on the amount of funds (1) ordered by the settlement  for each restoration type; (2) authorized by the trustees for, but not yet  spent on, restoration activities (authorizations); (3) spent on restoration  activities (expenditures); and (4) not yet authorized for restoration  activities (remaining balance) through calendar year 2017 for Deepwater  Horizon and through January 31, 2018, for Exxon Valdez.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills are two of the largest offshore oil spills in U.S. history, causing long-lasting damage to marine and coastal resources. OPA includes provisions to prevent and respond to such oil spills by authorizing (1) federal-state trustee councils that manage billions of dollars from legal settlements and (2) an interagency committee to coordinate oil pollution research, among other things.
GAO was asked to review the federal government's response, restoration, and research efforts after the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills. This report examines, among other things, (1) how the trustee councils have used the restoration trust funds and the status of restoration and (2) the interagency committee's coordination of oil spill research efforts.
GAO reviewed the councils' plans for the funds and how they were used, federal funding of oil spill research by member agencies, and key laws. Also, GAO evaluated the coordination of such efforts against a leading collaboration practice. GAO interviewed members of the trustee councils and the interagency committee.

What GAO Found

The trustee councils, composed of federal and state members, have used portions of the restoration trust funds from the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements to restore natural resources. From October 1992 to January 2018, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council used about 86 percent of the fund's roughly $1 billion, primarily on habitat protection and restoration of damaged natural resources. According to the council, all but 5 of the 32 natural resources and human services identified as damaged by the spill have recovered or are recovering. The health of Pacific herring is one example of a resource that has not yet recovered. Further, the presence of lingering oil remains a concern almost 30 years after the spill. In May 2018, GAO accompanied trustee council researchers to the spill area and observed the excavation of three pits that revealed lingering oil roughly 6 inches below the surface of the beach, as captured in the photo below. The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council finalized a programmatic restoration plan in 2016; four trustee implementation groups have since issued initial restoration plans for designated restoration areas, and three anticipate issuing restoration plans in 2019 or later. From April 2012 to December 2017, the council used 13 percent of the at least $8.1 billion restoration trust fund, mostly on habitat protection, enhancing recreation, and marine wildlife and fishery restoration.
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), which was enacted after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, established the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (interagency committee) to coordinate oil pollution research among federal agencies and with relevant external entities, among other things. However according to the trustee council members that manage the restoration trust funds, the committee does not coordinate with the trustee councils and some were not aware that the interagency committee existed. The research of the member agencies could be relevant to the trustee councils' work on restoration. By coordinating directly with the trustee councils, the interagency committee could ensure better knowledge sharing between groups and leverage its member agencies' resources to inform and support the work of the councils.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends, among other things, that the interagency committee coordinate with the trustee councils to support their work and research needs. The agency agreed with GAO's recommendations.