Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment (2014) / Chapter Skim
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4 Operations, Logistics, and Coordination in an Arctic Oil Spill
4 Operations, Logistics, and Coordination in an Arctic Oil Spill
Pages 105-136
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From page 105... ...
There are a number of issues that are com mon to all the Arctic scenarios in the report. For instance, oil spill response strategies will vary with 105 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 105 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 106... ...
RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS Viable spill response options will vary depending on the nature of the spill, its location, and prevailing environmental conditions. Other variables to be considered include the proximity of the oil spill to sensitive marine ecosystems; the presence and density of marine life; and, in many coastal Arctic areas, culturally significant sites (ADEC Spill Prevention and Response, 2002b)
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From page 107... ...
These activities need to be informed by scientific knowledge, benefits and drawbacks of each option need to be properly weighted, and activities need to be un dertaken with an understanding of the complex legal framework that imposes responsibilities on different parties in an oil spill response. Marine oil spills can occur from a number of sources and under a wide range of conditions, including originating from land sources or from vessels.
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From page 108... ...
The National Response System The National Response System is the federal government's mechanism for responding to oil spills and releases of hazardous materials. It operates through a network of federal agencies, described in the regulation under which EPA and USCG conduct spill response, the National Oil and Hazard ous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan (40 C.F.R.
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From page 109... ...
. National Response Center -- a 24-hour national call center for reporting oil spills and hazardous mate rials releases.
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From page 110... ...
For spills in the coastal zone, scientific support coordinators are typically provided by NOAA. National Incident Management System/Incident Command System Spill response involves multiple organizations coming together to address a common problem.
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From page 111... ...
Tankers must also demon strate that they have liability coverage to fund their spill response costs and any associated environmental damage. Liability coverage is documented in a "Certificate of Financial 111 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 111 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 112... ...
• Offshore facilities are not limited in liability for spills, with the exception of deepwater ports. The liability is for all removal costs plus $75 million for damages.4 Oil Spill Response Plans are reviewed and approved by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
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From page 113... ...
Coast Guard may also exercise existing bilateral and multilateral international agreements. Response Needs Enhanced vessel traffic monitoring, protocols to identify the responsible party, adequate predeployed spill response equipment, resources for shoreline contamination cleanup, and adequate training and exercises for local response personnel (working with Unified Command personnel)
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From page 114... ...
Response Needs Adequate Arctic oil spill response infrastructure, parity in regulatory oversight for bulk and petroleum ship ping, identification of OSROs for oil spills from nonpetroleum shippers, resources for nearshore spill response, training and exercises for combined or complex events (salvage/cargo cleanup/oil spill response) , and training and exercises for local responders working with the Unified Command are needed.
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From page 115... ...
In 1989, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Alaska Legislature enacted additional legislation to further strengthen the state's capability to deal with oil spills. The law was again revised in 1990 with specific elements, including oil discharge contingency plans, an incident command system that details specific responsibilities, and other actions to lessen oil spills and their consequences.
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From page 117... ...
Bilateral Agreements The United States has long engaged its regional neighbors in Arctic spill preparedness. Bilateral agreements with Canada and Russia predate the more recent and much broader Arctic Council agreement on spill response among all arctic nations.
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From page 118... ...
, it is more likely that a joint response will be needed. The bilateral agreement provides a solid foundation for a joint response effort, although the myriad details of response cooperation during any given spill response could lead to significant delays unless worked out in advance.
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From page 119... ...
Unlike oil spill response, many domestic emergencies (such as hurricanes) make use of DOD assets after a Stafford Act declaration by the President.
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From page 120... ...
Alaska Chadux and ASRC Energy Services operate in both the Nome and Prudhoe Bay areas of the Western Alaska Captain of the Port, and another two organizations -- Clean Harbors Environmental Services and Alaska Clean Seas -- operate only within Prudhoe Bay. However, the operating environments within which they are capable of spill response vary widely.
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From page 121... ...
Moreover, movement of response equipment to the scene of the spill will likely be difficult and time consuming if not prestaged. The subregional contingency plans note that there is no government spill response equipment prestaged in the Arctic regions of Alaska, although there is industry equip ment prestaged in the region.
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From page 122... ...
ADEC has established more than 35 spill response agreements with boroughs and communities, which allow ADEC to request local assistance depending on the needs of a given 122 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 122 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 123... ...
While each of the villages has slightly different equipment available, it normally includes bales of sorbents, boom, skimmers, pumps, generators, personal protective gear, wildlife deterrence equipment, liner material, and support material. Shell recently provided additional spill response equipment for NSB.
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From page 124... ...
There is a significant amount of spill response equipment located in the North Slope, especially when Shell and AES equipment are deployed to support exploratory drilling operations. The major ity of the equipment is located in Prudhoe Bay and in the immediate vicinity of oil and gas explora tion activities.
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From page 125... ...
from Nome to the Canadian border. Almost all of the airstrips can be accessed by C-130 and smaller cargo aircraft if needed for rapid deploy ment of spill response equipment. Multiple heavy lift aircraft would be needed to bring in capping stack equipment.
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From page 126... ...
15 See, for example, https://www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre/. 126 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 126 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 127... ...
The data from the Marine Exchange supplements its own on-scene presence through seasonal deployments of aircraft and cutters. The Coast Guard is currently evaluating traffic through the Bering Strait in order to determine if an internationally recognized traffic separation scheme is warranted (RADM Thomas Ostebo and 17th Coast Guard District personnel, personal communication, February 4, 2013, and March 18, 2014)
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From page 128... ...
The Alaska Native Corporations also have varying amounts of physical assets that could be of use during an oil spill response. In addition, some of the Alaska Native Corporations are employed by the oil and gas industry for science and data gathering, logistical support, oil spill response, and other support services.
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From page 129... ...
. Efforts at outreach and inclusivity in Arctic oil spill response preparation and planning have been made by Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Statoil and by state and 129 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 129 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 130... ...
. Common Operating Picture The lack of a common and standard information technology architecture, processes, and software baselines proved highly problematic in the early stages of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response (Konrad and Shroder, 2011; USCG, 2011)
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From page 131... ...
Distributed decision makers linked by large-scale electronic tethers need to develop a shared, common operational understanding and shared mental models of the response requirements and effort as it unfolds. A common operational picture of an unfolding event thus offers a number of advantages to large-scale, distributed Arctic oil spill response.
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From page 132... ...
Conclusion: The United States has bilateral agreements with Canada and Russia regarding oil spill response. Formal contingency planning and exercises with Canada have enabled both the United States and Canada to refine procedures and legal requirements for cross-border movement of technical experts and equipment in the event of an emergency.
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From page 133... ...
Conclusion: The USCG has a low level of presence in the Arctic, especially during the win ter. Coast Guard personnel, equipment, transportation, communication, navigation, and safety resources needed for oil spill response are not adequate for overseeing oil spill response in the Arctic.
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From page 134... ...
Recommendation: Infrastructure to support oil spill response should be enhanced in the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, and communities along the Bering Strait,16 with marine facilities for addressing response operations. The scope, scale, and location of infrastructure needs should be determined through structured decision processes, studies, and risk assessments.
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From page 135... ...
, local experts, industry, and academia should undertake regularly scheduled oil spill exercises designed to test and evaluate the flexible and scalable organizational structures needed for highly reliable Arctic oil spill response. 135 R02581 -- Oil Spills.indd 135 7/17/14 11:16 AM
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From page 136... ...
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