Oil Spill Response Strategies News

Researchers tackle the tough problems despite a lack of funding and official incentives to move forward. Progress, in particular for Arctic spill response equipment and techniques, is being made. Even in the messy but now seemingly distant wake of such environmental disasters such as the Exxon Valdez grounding and the Deepwater Horizon accident, domestic oil spill response requirements still provide little or no incentive for responders in the U.S. to develop and deploy new equipment. Elsewhere, other countries (especially Norway) have better options for testing and approving systems using an intentional spill. Here at home, this approach has been recommended especially for the Arctic by many stakeholders, to no apparent avail.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement staff from the Oil Spill Preparedness Division attended an international workshop last month that focused on how Arctic meteorological and oceanographic conditions can affect traditional oil spill response strategies. The Arctic Council​'s​ Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response working group approved a project in late 2014 to study the effects of environmental factors such as wind, temperature, sea state, and ice coverage on traditional oil spill response tactics. Understanding how these environmental factors may constrain the use of mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, and dispersants, will help international emergency responders to better understand the risks posed by oil spills in high latitudes.

The Coast Guard Marine Industry Training Program offers incredible opportunities for Coast Guard employees to intimately learn specific facets of the marine industry. Participants of the program work directly for industry partners for up to 1 year. In addition to building superior government/industry working relationships, the program affords industry sponsors an opportunity to share detailed business considerations and limitations, so that Coast Guard regulatory activities most effectively promote safety, while limiting undue burden on the maritime industry.

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and U.S. Coast Guard are looking for interested parties to help update the state's oil spill response strategies tailored for the Strait of Juan de Fuca and for Washington's outer coast. The existing site-specific strategies, also known as "geographic response plans," identify sensitive natural and cultural resources. The plans also help prioritize how equipment and cleanup crews should be deployed during an oil spill response. Geographic response plans for oil spills are usually carried out during the first several hours following a spill. The plans are tailored to a specific beach, shore, or waterway and designed to minimize harm to sensitive areas threatened by the spill.