Coast Guard Updates Oil Spill Response

A Unified Incident Command (UIC) comprised of Chevron Products Co., the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) continues to respond to a crude oil spill in the Arthur Kill.

• The portion of the Arthur Kill north of Woodbridge Creek has been reopened to traffic. • The total volume of the crude oil spilled is estimated to be approximately 31,000 gallons. • Chevron is managing the spill response with oversight from regulatory agencies represented within the UIC. The UIC is also coordinating with other key stakeholders in the area. • Two reconnaissance flights took place today, one early morning and one mid-day, to reassess the area impacted by the spill. • The UIC's main efforts today have been focused primarily on: 1. Protecting human health and the environment, and continuing a safe, incident-free response effort. 2. Continuing oil recovery to minimize impact to the environment and wildlife. 3. Conducting detailed assessments of impacted areas and implementing appropriate response efforts. 4. Reopening the entire Arthur Kill as soon as possible. 5. Minimizing impact to businesses operating along the Arthur Kill. • Approximately 200 personnel from Chevron, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NJDEP, NYC DEP, NYS DEC, Clean Harbors Cooperative, Atlantic Response, and Marine Spill Response Corporation are on site working to manage response efforts, and contain and clean up the spill. • Approximately 8,300 feet of containment boom has been deployed to contain the spill and protect sensitive areas. • Approximately 25,000 gallons of oil-water mixture have been recovered. • On-water oil recovery is being conducted by six oil vessels. Another 19 vessels are being used for a variety of purposes, such as deploying or maintaining containment and absorbent booms. • Responders have also deployed three vacuum trucks and other equipment for the response effort. • Responders are using Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT) to determine the shoreline impact. • Crews have started shoreline cleanup in affected areas including Mill Creek and Perth Amboy. • The U.S. Coast Guard is maintaining a safety zone from the Outer Bridge Crossing to Fresh Kills, Staten Island, to control vessel traffic through the area affected by the spill. • The cause of the spill is under investigation. Chevron is cooperating with regulatory agencies to determine the cause.