Gerald R. Ford photo

Statement on the Oil Spill Off the Coast of Massachusetts.

December 22, 1976

I AM deeply concerned by the serious threats to New England's shoreline, wildlife, marine resources, and fishing industry, posed by the oil spill off the coast of southeastern Massachusetts.

I have directed Federal agencies to do all that is possible to contain the slick, to limit environmental damage, and to provide appropriate assistance under the law to any affected communities and businesses.

The Coast Guard continues to take all possible measures to ensure minimal economic and ecological damage. Representatives of the Economic Development Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are on the scene and are monitoring the situation closely. They are prepared, at my direction, to respond as promptly as possible and to exercise every appropriate authority at their disposal to assist in dealing with this unfortunate accident.

Note: On Wednesday, December 15, a Liberian-registered oil tanker, the Argo Merchant, ran aground on the Nantucket shoals, 27 miles southeast of the island. On the morning of December 21, the vessel broke in half, and on the following day the bow of the vessel also split, spilling the remainder of the oil into the Atlantic Ocean.
The statement was released at Vail, Colo.

Gerald R. Ford, Statement on the Oil Spill Off the Coast of Massachusetts. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/257709

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