Social disruption from oil spills and spill response: Social and Environmental Research Institute (SERI)

Project funded by the The Coastal Response Research Center; NOAA Grant Number: NA04NOS4190063.

1 June 2008 - 31 July 2010.

Tom Webler (PI) and Seth Tuler (Social and Environmental Research Institute)

Kirstin Dow, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina

The objective of this project is to design a process to help Area Committee planners anticipate and plan for the socially disruptive impacts, or "human dimensions" of spills. This process will lead planners and other stakeholders through a systematic exploration of the possible socially disruptive impacts.

To develop this process, we will first construct an organized list (or taxonomy) of socially disruptive impacts from spills. We will do this by mining the existing literature and interviewing Area Committee members in three different regions, collecting their insights into how oil spills could impact human communities. The three case studies are: The Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay, Long Island Sound Area Planning, and the DM-932 spill in New Orleans. A fourth case study in Cordova, Alaska is also being completed as part of a separately funded project (more information).

Second, to understand how particular qualities of communities determine the way in which impacts are brought about, we will use vulnerability theory. This involves characterizing sensitivities and adaptive responses of the people, groups, institutions, and communities that are impacted by a spill event and spill response. We will develop a generic technique to help AC planners identify, gather, and summarize relevant vulnerability information.

Third, we will identify existing data sets that AC planners can use to characterize impacts and vulnerability information.

Research Progress (Summer 2009)

We are presently one year into this two-year project. To date we have:

Completed a review of existing literature on human impacts.

Constructed a taxonomy of human impacts.

Completed taxonomies of vulnerability information on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive action.

Completed a case study of the Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay.

Completed a case study of the DM-932 spill in in New Orleans.

Completed a case study of human impacts contingency planning in Long Island Sound.

Begun a review of existing data sets on information relevant to the human dimensions of spills.

Drafted a the overall strategy of a guidance document for how to help Area Contingency planners think through and plan for human impacts.

Anticipated Benefits

This project will provide a base of knowledge to understand how oil spills impact human communities and will assist planners to evaluate trade-offs and synergies between protecting environmental resources and protecting or mitigating impacts to human communities. Results will be transferable to Area Committees across the nation. The project will improve contingency planning by enabling plans to better incorporate information about human impacts.

Publications and Reports

Webler, T., Tuler, S., and Dow, K. 2010. Overview of human impacts from oil spills. Invited essay posted on the Center for American Progress website.

Webler, T. and Lord, F. 2010. Planning for the human dimensions of oil spills and spill response, Environmental Management 45(4):723-738. (PDF Available of pre-print)

Lord, F., Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Dow, K. 2010. Case study report of the human dimensions of the Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. SERI Report 10-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (PDF Available).

Tuler, S., Webler, T., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2010. Case study report of the human dimensions of the DM-932 spill in New Orleans. SERI Report 10-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (PDF Available).

Brief summaries of human impacts of oil and oil spill response efforts

We have designed a set of example 2-page briefs to summarize a number of ways that previous oil spills have impacted people and their communities. These briefs are meant to show how information about socially disruptive impacts to spills and spill response can be integrated into area contingency planning activities. The briefs cover impacts to:

Acute and chronic physical health impacts from spills and spill response.

Psychological health impacts from spills and spill response.

Commerce Impacts of oil spills on different kinds of economic activity.

Crime Impacts of oil spills on criminal investigations.

Culture Impacts of oil spills on culture.

Litigation Impacts of oil spills on ligitation.

Municipal services Impacts of oil spills to municipal services and infrastructure.

Quality of life Impacts of oil spills to people's overall quality of life.

Social relationships Impacts of oil spills to social relationships in impacted communities.

Spirituality Impacts of oil spills on people's spirituality.

Tourism Impacts of oil spills to tourism.

Trust in government Impacts of oil spills to the public trust in government.

Presentations

Tuler, S., Webler, T., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2009. Characterizing social disruption of oil spills and spill response. Presentation made at the Clean Gulf Conference November 2009 in New Orleans. (PDF Available)

Webler, T., Tuler, S., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2009. Characterizing social disruption of oil spills and spill response. Presentation made at the Coastal Zone Management Conference 2009 in Boston. (PDF Available)

Funder Information

The Coastal Response Research Center is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through the Office of Response and Restoration, and the University of New Hampshire. The goal of the Center is to reduce the consequences of spills and other hazards that threaten coastal environments and communities by conducting research, developing new response and restoration methods, and transferring technology to practitioners. For more information on this and other Center-funded projects, (visit CRRC).

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All material © SERI unless otherwise noted.			Project funded by the The Coastal Response Research Center; NOAA Grant Number: NA04NOS4190063. 1 June 2008 - 31 July 2010. Project Team Tom Webler (PI) and Seth Tuler (Social and Environmental Research Institute) Kirstin Dow, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina Project Overview The objective of this project is to design a process to help Area Committee planners anticipate and plan for the socially disruptive impacts, or "human dimensions" of spills. This process will lead planners and other stakeholders through a systematic exploration of the possible socially disruptive impacts. To develop this process, we will first construct an organized list (or taxonomy) of socially disruptive impacts from spills. We will do this by mining the existing literature and interviewing Area Committee members in three different regions, collecting their insights into how oil spills could impact human communities. The three case studies are: The Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay, Long Island Sound Area Planning, and the DM-932 spill in New Orleans. A fourth case study in Cordova, Alaska is also being completed as part of a separately funded project (more information). Second, to understand how particular qualities of communities determine the way in which impacts are brought about, we will use vulnerability theory. This involves characterizing sensitivities and adaptive responses of the people, groups, institutions, and communities that are impacted by a spill event and spill response. We will develop a generic technique to help AC planners identify, gather, and summarize relevant vulnerability information. Third, we will identify existing data sets that AC planners can use to characterize impacts and vulnerability information. Research Progress (Summer 2009) We are presently one year into this two-year project. To date we have: Completed a review of existing literature on human impacts. Constructed a taxonomy of human impacts. Completed taxonomies of vulnerability information on exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive action. Completed a case study of the Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay. Completed a case study of the DM-932 spill in in New Orleans. Completed a case study of human impacts contingency planning in Long Island Sound. Begun a review of existing data sets on information relevant to the human dimensions of spills. Drafted a the overall strategy of a guidance document for how to help Area Contingency planners think through and plan for human impacts. Anticipated Benefits This project will provide a base of knowledge to understand how oil spills impact human communities and will assist planners to evaluate trade-offs and synergies between protecting environmental resources and protecting or mitigating impacts to human communities. Results will be transferable to Area Committees across the nation. The project will improve contingency planning by enabling plans to better incorporate information about human impacts. Publications and Reports Webler, T., Tuler, S., and Dow, K. 2010. Overview of human impacts from oil spills. Invited essay posted on the Center for American Progress website. Webler, T. and Lord, F. 2010. Planning for the human dimensions of oil spills and spill response, Environmental Management 45(4):723-738. (PDF Available of pre-print) Lord, F., Tuler, S., Webler, T., and Dow, K. 2010. Case study report of the human dimensions of the Bouchard-120 spill in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. SERI Report 10-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (PDF Available). Tuler, S., Webler, T., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2010. Case study report of the human dimensions of the DM-932 spill in New Orleans. SERI Report 10-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (PDF Available). Brief summaries of human impacts of oil and oil spill response efforts We have designed a set of example 2-page briefs to summarize a number of ways that previous oil spills have impacted people and their communities. These briefs are meant to show how information about socially disruptive impacts to spills and spill response can be integrated into area contingency planning activities. The briefs cover impacts to: Acute and chronic physical health impacts from spills and spill response. Psychological health impacts from spills and spill response. Commerce Impacts of oil spills on different kinds of economic activity. Crime Impacts of oil spills on criminal investigations. Culture Impacts of oil spills on culture. Litigation Impacts of oil spills on ligitation. Municipal services Impacts of oil spills to municipal services and infrastructure. Quality of life Impacts of oil spills to people's overall quality of life. Social relationships Impacts of oil spills to social relationships in impacted communities. Spirituality Impacts of oil spills on people's spirituality. Tourism Impacts of oil spills to tourism. Trust in government Impacts of oil spills to the public trust in government. Presentations Tuler, S., Webler, T., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2009. Characterizing social disruption of oil spills and spill response. Presentation made at the Clean Gulf Conference November 2009 in New Orleans. (PDF Available) Webler, T., Tuler, S., Dow, K., and Lord, F. 2009. Characterizing social disruption of oil spills and spill response. Presentation made at the Coastal Zone Management Conference 2009 in Boston. (PDF Available) Funder Information The Coastal Response Research Center is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through the Office of Response and Restoration, and the University of New Hampshire. The goal of the Center is to reduce the consequences of spills and other hazards that threaten coastal environments and communities by conducting research, developing new response and restoration methods, and transferring technology to practitioners. For more information on this and other Center-funded projects, (visit CRRC).