The Nation - News from Aug. 1, 1989
Citing a promising field test, the government approved a plan by Exxon Corp. to spread fertilizer on oil-stained Alaskan beaches. Exxon will apply fertilizer to 5,800 yards of oiled shoreline on Green and Seal islands in Alaska’s Prince William Sound--where more than 11 million gallons of oil spilled from the tanker Exxon Valdez last March--to increase concentrations of microbes that break down toxic hydrocarbons in oil, the Environmental Protection Agency said. The fertilizer contains phosphorus and nitrogen, nutrients needed by the bacteria to utilize toxic hydrocarbons as food. Officials at the EPA said the field test showed that the fertilizer can raise concentrations of “oil-eating” microbes by 30 to 100 times normal levels, with no harmful side effects on the environment.
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