bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Con Edison's Success in Reducing Risk: Applying Real-World Lessons Learned to Broaden Spill Planning and Response Programs and Build Personnel Competencies
Authors: Hanley Patrick , Healy Thomas , Shannon Nancy
Published: August 2014

Con Edison's service territory covers more than 1,000 miles of inland and coastal shoreline in one of the most heavily regulated and scrutinized areas of the Unites States: New York City. In November 2009, the company experienced a catastrophic failure of a large transformer at a high-voltage electric substation, resulting in approximately 200 gallons of dielectric oil impacting the Bronx River. While the volume of oil was relatively small, the duration of the cleanup lasted nearly one month with costs of approximately $1.75 million, plus a nearly $1 million compliance order issued by New York State for violation of state regulations. Following this event, and through a study of all historical spill incidents, it was clear that the primary risk of spills to the environment came from the more than 30 million gallons of oil contained in the company's high-voltage transformers and oil-filled electric transmission and distribution system, which were not covered by existing Facility Response Plans developed as part of implementing OPA 90. Given these results, the company sought to refine existing spill response program elements to further reduce risks and enhance environmental stewardship.

Using the existing Spill Management Team (SMT) model in the OPA 90 program, a company-wide SMT approach was created to better prepare for and reduce the risks associated with potential spills from all company sources. The team consists of more than 50 personnel from the various business units of the company, providing direct access to a wide spectrum of skill-sets and specialties. In addition, the company has developed Oil Spill Contingency Plans (OSCP)—also covered under OPA 90—with detailed response tactics for over 300 locations.

On the heels of the program implementation, a large spill of dielectric oil from an underground high-voltage electric distribution line resulted in more than 2,000 gallons impacting the Hutchinson River. While the impact to the waterway was greater than in the 2009 event, the response duration was only 6 days with clean-up costs just over $300,000 with no state issued compliance order, a significant improvement. This result was due, in large part, to implementation of the OSCP and SMT programs. Through these experiences, the many benefits of establishing a company-wide SMT and the OSCP's were realized, including developing spill response and Incident Command System expertise, refined coordination, and improved cost management. These efforts have significantly reduced the company's spill risk exposure by improving response capabilities.
IMPLEMENTING A NATIONALLY ACCREDITED TRAINING SYSTEM FOR MARINE POLLUTION RESPONSE
Authors: Storrie Jamie , Fleming Mick , McWilliam Lynette
Published: August 2014

Australia's National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies (‘the National Plan’) is the national strategy for preparing, responding and recovering from marine pollution incidents. A core activity of the National Plan arrangements is the training and ongoing development of marine pollution response personnel.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has fundamentally restructured the way in which marine pollution training is developed and delivered within the National Plan. While remaining consistent with international frameworks, AMSA has integrated marine pollution training into Australia's vocational education system. Such an approach has enabled the alignment of training, particularly at the management level, with mainstream emergency services, a multi-disciplinary approach to the development and delivery of training courses, the formal and documented assessment of response personnel to confirm competence, the issuance of nationally recognised and transferable qualifications and the incorporation of a continual improvement as a fundamental principle of the national training program.

This paper discusses the reasons for the restructure of the training program, the challenges and benefits of integrating marine pollution training into the vocational educational systems and the future opportunities for training within Australia.
Salt Marsh Remediation and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Role of Planting in Vegetation and Macroinvertebrate Recovery
Authors: Zengel Scott , Rutherford Nicolle , Bernik Brittany , Nixon Zachary , Michel Jacqueline
Published: August 2014

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in persistent heavy oiling in salt marshes, particularly in northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Oiling conditions and several ecological variables were compared among reference plots and three types of heavily oiled plots located along a continuous shoreline area in northern Barataria Bay: oiled control plots, mechanical treatment plots, and mechanical treatment plots coupled with vegetation planting (Spartina alterniflora). Data were collected more than three years following initial oiling and two years following cleanup treatments and planting. Salt marsh oiling and associated impacts were apparent across all oiling/treatment classes relative to reference conditions. Mechanical treatment with planting showed the most improvement in oiling conditions and was also effective in re-establishing vegetation cover and plant species composition similar to reference conditions, in contrast to the oiled controls and mechanical treatment plots without planting. Marsh periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata) recovery was limited across all oiling/treatment classes relative to reference. Impacts to fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) were also documented in the heavily oiled plots. Positive influences of mechanical treatment and planting on macroinvertebrate recovery were observed; however, invertebrate recovery may lag the return of Spartina alterniflora by several years. Vegetation planting should be considered as a spill response and emergency restoration option for heavily oiled salt marshes where vegetation impacts are substantial, natural recovery may be lacking or delayed, intensive cleanup treatments are used, or where marsh shorelines are at risk of erosion.
Biodegradation at the Seafloor: Ultrahigh Resolution FT-ICR Mass Spectral Characterization of Natural Petroleum Seeps
Authors: McKenna Amy M. , Williams Jeffrey T. , Putman Jonathan C. , Aeppli Christoph M. , Reddy Christopher M. , Valentine David L. , Lemkau Karin T. , Kellermann Matthias Y. , Savory Joshua T. , Kaiser Nathan K. , Marshall Alan G. , Rodgers Ryan P.
Published: August 2014

We report the first resolution, identification, and characterization of nickel and vanadyl porphyrins simultaneously in weathered oil samples derived from natural seeps in Southern California. Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provides ultrahigh resolving power (m/Δm50% > 1,000,000 at m/z 500) and sub-ppm mass error (<50 ppb) required to identify nickel porphyrin isotopes for unambiguous elemental composition assignment. We also report the first simultaneous identification and categorization of both vanadyl and nickel porphyrins in the same sample, without prior sample fractionation. More than 85,000 mass spectral peaks are resolved and identified in a single mass spectrum, and represent the most extensive molecular deconvolution of an organic mixture characterized to date.
National Contingency Plan Phase II Activities: A Problem Analysis & Decision Framework for Understanding & Evaluating Oil Pollution Threats from Sunken Ships Off California
Authors: Stout Jordan , Rubini Jeff
Published: August 2014

The National Contingency Plan (NCP) provides an assessment framework through which to manage pollution threats in the United States. Although the NCP delivers an assessment framework for evaluating Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA) threats through formalized Site Assessments, Feasibility Studies, and Remedial Investigations, the NCP falls short of delivering a similar iterative process through which to evaluate non-emergent oil pollution threats. Recent experience with two historical wrecks in California (SS MONTEBELLO and M/V FERNSTREAM) suggest an opportunity to develop a problem analysis and decision framework enabling assessment/response (A&R) teams to evaluate more fully the nature of a problem, as well as the relative efficacy of alternative courses of action available to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC). Using those two experiences as case studies, promising practices are distilled and adapted thru a formal policy analytic process to develop a problem analysis and decision framework for non-emergent oil threats. The intent is to bolster the utility of the NCP's Operational Response Phases for Oil Removal with emphasis on Phase II activities, and to provide FOSCs, Area Committees and Regional Response Teams a more robust evaluation tool.
INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY: THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN BIGHT COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH SCIENCE PROGRAM
Authors: Ward Tim M. , Smith David C. , Lukatelich Rod , Lewis Rob , Begg Gavin A. , Smith Rochelle
Published: August 2014

BP is investing $A1.43B and drilling four exploratory wells in the hope of discovering a new deep-water oil and gas province in the Great Australia Bight (GAB). The GAB is one of Australia's most valuable marine ecosystems. It supports globally significant populations of seabirds and marine mammals, diverse and endemic benthic assemblages and important fishing, aquaculture and ecotourism industries.

Two research agencies (CSIRO, South Australian Research and Development Institute) and two universities (University of Adelaide, Flinders University of South Australia) recently entered into a collaborative research partnership with BP Australia to undertake an integrated study of the ecological processes and socio-economic importance of the GAB. Uniquely, this four year $20M research program is being undertaken during the exploration phase and conducted as a single integrated program.

The Research Program is comprised of seven themes: physical oceanography; pelagic ecosystem and environmental drivers; benthic biodiversity; ecology of iconic and apex predators; petroleum geology and geochemistry; socio-economic values; and data integration and ecosystem modelling. Sixteen inter-related projects are being undertaken by some of Australia's leading marine scientists and will involve at least seven post-graduate Ph.D. students. Scientific quality assurance is provided by a review process that involves an Independent Science Panel and BP's international Subject Matter Experts. Ecological data collected during the study will be publically available. Findings will be presented to stakeholders and regulators and published in technical reports and scientific papers throughout the course of the program.

The program is one of the few whole of system studies ever undertaken in Australia and is the first large-scale, integrated study of the ecosystems, resources and socio-economic values of the GAB. The approach has several advantages over undertaking discrete projects on key issues near the start of the production phase.1)BP Australia's financial contribution has leveraged significant investment from the other partners.2)Establishing baseline environmental conditions during the exploration phase provides the opportunity to conduct temporally replicated analyses of the ecosystem prior to commencement of production, should it occur.3)Engaging with the local scientific community builds on the existing knowledge base and working relationships with stakeholders and will assist the development of relevant local scientific capability.4)An integrated program provides for efficient development and validation of whole of system (i.e. ecological and socio-economic) models that elucidate interconnections among components of the system and can inform decisions regarding future development and predict, monitor and assess potential future impacts.
A Model Based Approach to Radar Oil Spill Detection
Authors: Pedersen Torstein , Perez Javier , Van Heseen Jos
Published: August 2014

A typical oil spill recovery vessel has been historically outfitted with an oil spill detection (OSD) radar. During an oil spill recovery operation, there is a dedicated operator who is responsible for interpreting information from the radar image. Industry developments over the last several years now require that an OSD radar automatically detect and track an oil spill. There are two primary needs driving this development. The first is that OSD systems and operations are becoming more sophisticated; automatic OSD aids for a more efficient oil spill operation where an operator's attention may be directed to a potential spill. The automatic OSD also aids a multi-sensor system; one such example is where an OSD radar is used to steer an IR camera to a candidate spill for more detailed evaluation or validation. The other primary driver for automatic OSD is for monitoring systems, which serve for early warning. Monitoring systems may be found along coastal installations or oil platforms.

The automatic spill detection functionality of an OSD system may be implemented in different levels of sophistication. Perhaps the simplest configuration is one that uses fixed thresholds relative to the image for alarming whether a region in a radar image is a spill or not. The benefit of simple threshold detector is that it is easy to implement in software. The weakness is that it is prone to both lower overall detection rate and high false alarm rate. A more robust automatic spill detection method is one that treats it as an image-processing problem. The paper here presents a model based OSD.

Generation of confidence maps is central to the method and provides an indication of the likelihood of oil. Inputs to the confidence maps come from multiple sources, several of which are based on uniquely constructed models. Among these is a histogram comparator, which scans a radar image and compares the data to reference models from real oil spills.

A discussion of the methods used focuses on (a) the necessary steps prior to the confidence map construction, (b) how the confidence maps are layered with inputs, (c) how the information in the confidence maps is transitioned into the detection of oil, (d) and finally alarming.
A Consensus on the State of the Knowledge and Research Recommendations on the Fate and Effects of Deep Water Releases of Oil, Dispersants and Dispersed Oil
Authors: Broje Victoria , Gala Will , Nedwed Tim , Twomey Joe
Published: August 2014

American Petroleum Institute (API) and its member companies have initiated a multi-year research program to generate information that can be used in subsea dispersant application decision-making. An important part of this program is the evaluation of biodegradation and toxicity of oil, dispersants and dispersed oil in a deepwater environment. The available scientific literature was reviewed by a panel of international experts in deepwater ecology, toxicology, microbiology, and petroleum chemistry, who summarized the state of the knowledge on these topics and recommended additional studies that would inform subsea dispersants decision-making. The recommended research projects have been funded by API. This paper summarizes findings to-date on toxicity and biodegradation of oil, dispersants and dispersed oil in deep water environments.
Hurricane Isaac Post-Storm Response1
Authors: Talbot Kasey , Dauzat Jeff
Published: August 2014

Hurricane Isaac made landfall on August 29, 2012 over Louisiana, lingering overhead for more than 60 hours. While most were concerned with surviving the 80+ mph winds and ensuing storm surge and floods, Coast Guard members statewide knew there would be no calm after the storm; instead it would be a grueling fight to restore the port to normalcy. The slow moving storm caused grounded deep draft vessels and barges, spilled oil, releases of hazardous materials (HAZMAT), and damage to various buildings and infrastructures. U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans integrated local, states, and federal agencies into a Unified Command structure to coordinate limited resources post-storm. Within Sector New Orleans, the Incident Management Division (IMD) made it their primary mission to mitigate any substantial threats of oil discharges or HAZMAT releases and ensure proper cleanup. On September 2, 2012, IMD utilized the Incident Command System (ICS) to establish a Marine Environmental Response (MER) Incident Management Team (IMT) to achieve their post storm mission. The MER IMT consisted of 200 personnel, of which 60 were Coast Guard members, and included representatives from the National Strike Force, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO), Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), and three Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSROs); together the team collected 4500 barrels of oily water and 1200 HAZMAT containers, deployed over 11,000 feet of containment boom, and federalized three pollution projects. The MER IMT was disestablished on September 28, 2012 leaving Sector New Orleans IMD to maintain complete management of the ongoing federalized projects, “Fantome”, “Map Drilling”, and “Gulf South”. The projects included oil discharges in adjacent waterways of two oil production/storage facilities, oil discharges from fixed facility barges, and oil discharges from a storage platform along the marsh shoreline. Sector New Orleans executed $9.5 million in Oil Spill Liability Trust Funds towards emergency response efforts and successfully restored safety to the public health, welfare, environment, and maritime community.
KIS Approach to Data Management for Oil and Hazardous Material Response
Authors: Jozsef Aaron L. , Houle Scott R. , Hutley Tedd B. , Sawyer Justin M.
Published: August 2014

On August 28th, 2012 Hurricane Isaac made landfall on the lower peninsula of the state of Louisiana near the mouth of the Mississippi River. A FEMA mission assignment under Emergency Support Function 10 (Oil and Hazardous Material Response) was issued to the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to mitigate hundreds of orphaned containers deposited throughout a 3200 square mile area of coastal Louisiana by flood waters associated with Hurricane Isaac. A team comprised of U.S. Coast Guard, EPA, NOAA, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, local Oil Spill Response Organization, EPA contractors and other Federal, State and Local personnel was assembled to manage the response.

Beginning with the end in mind and understanding that a major challenge in oil or HAZMAT response is data management and timely collaboration of data, the team decided to “keep it simple” and leverage off-the-shelf, inexpensive and intuitive options to manage the response data.. The objective was to keep costs to a minimum while ensuring the average responder could use the systems selected. The Microsoft ACCESS and Google Earth platforms were selected and enabled the team to operate very efficiently. Ultimately the mission assignment was completed weeks ahead of schedule and several hundred thousand dollars under budget.

This paper describes a budget conscious response approach to a large and dynamic area of operation; specifically, the efficient and successful operations that were executed through novel use of free GIS software, COTS GPS equipment, readily available interagency digital information sources, and efficient aerial surveillance planning. The organizational concepts necessary to integrate these techniques into Incident Command System (ICS) and the logistical considerations of managing a response effectively with these tools with minimally staffed personnel are also addressed.
Ultrasonic Scattering Measurements of Dispersed Oil Droplets in the Presence of Gas
Authors: Panetta Paul D. , McElhone Dale , Winfield Kyle , Cartwright Grace
Published: August 2014

To help minimize the effects of oil spills on marine environments, chemical dispersants are used to disperse the oil in the water column so the oil can be consumed by naturally occurring bacteria. During the Deepwater Horizon incident, 1.1 million gallons of dispersant were injected directly into the flowing plume of oil and natural gas over 1500 meters deep. Dispersant's main effect is to decrease the surface tension at the oil-water interface causing the oil to form droplets smaller than ~70 microns so they can remain in the water column. Currently the efficacy of aerial applied dispersants on surface slicks is determined by measuring the droplet size decrease using a Laser In-Situ Scattering Transmissometer (LISST) or by detecting the oil in the water column using fluorometers. LISST instruments are limited to dilute mixtures, below ~500 ppm, because the LISST signal saturates for concentrated mixtures, and their windows can become occluded by oil and biofilms. Fluorometers only measure oil concentration; thus they cannot distinguish between naturally dispersed oil droplets, which can float back to the surface, from chemically dispersed oil droplets, which will remain in the water column to be naturally biodegraded. When gas is present as was the case in the Deepwater Horizon incident where it was estimated that the plume consisted of ~22% natural gas, the LISST cannot distinguish between oil droplets and gas bubbles and thus is not able to track the effectiveness of dispersants in the presence of gas. Acoustic measurements overcome the problems associated with the LISST and fluorometers and are ideal for applications subsurface near a blowout and for low ppm levels expected for surface slicks. One of the key features of the sound wave propagating through the water is the scattering at the interface between the water and object. In previous work we showed the proof of concept to measure the average oil droplet size using acoustic. We used the resonance behavior of the gas bubbles to identify them and separate their contribution to the measured acoustic scattering for various oil and dispersant combinations . We developed acoustic scattering and resonance measurements to track the size of oil droplets in the presence of gas during subsurface releases at SINTEF and in Ohmsett's large wave tank.
A Decision-making Process for the Election of a Tier II Oil Spill Response Mechanism
Authors: Rudder Marc M. R.
Published: August 2014

Trinidad and Tobago has been involved in the oil industry for quite some time now. This twin-island Caribbean state recently celebrated 100 years of commercial oil production. The first Trinidad oil well was drilled in 1857, two years before the Drake well in Pennsylvania. With respect to oil spills, the largest vessel-related oil spill took place just off Tobago in 1979 as a result of a collision between two Very Large Crude Carriers. Fortunately, the first National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) was developed just two years prior and its activation assisted with Tier III management of this incident. This history surely warrants a robust in-country system for preparedness and response to oil spill events. The 1977 NOSCP instituted a system for the management of Tier II incidents based on assignment of Marine Areas of responsibility to oil companies and the Coast Guard. However, with the proliferation of operators since 1977, this system proved to be unsustainable. Alternative systems were evaluated in 2009 based on an environmental assessment tool known as Multi Attribute Utility Theory that enabled a level of objectivity. The process culminated with a recommendation of two possible systems that would be favorable to the Trinidad and Tobago context. One system was a Tier II system operated and controlled primarily by the Government and the other was a system operated by the oil and gas companies operating in Trinidad and Tobago. In the final analysis, and with counsel, the operator-led system was chosen as the most suitable system for Trinidad and Tobago. This upgraded Tier II system was incorporated in the revised Trinidad and Tobago NOSCP which was approved by Cabinet on January 31, 2013. This paper will present the process of decision-making employed in this matter by a committee composed of Government and energy sector companies in order to enable other countries in the Caribbean and beyond to employ a useful environmental assessment tool to assist in their own decision-making processes.
DEVELOPING A GUIDELINE FOR OIL SPILL RISK ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE PLANNING FOR OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS
Authors: Nissen-Lie Torild Ronnaug , Brude Odd Willy , Aspholm Ole Oystein , Taylor Peter Mark , Davidson David
Published: August 2014

Following the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico (Macondo) oil spill and the 2009 Montara incident in Australia, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) formed the Global Industry Response Group. This Group identified nineteen oil spill response recommendations (OGP, 2011) that are being addressed via an Oil Spill Response Joint Industry Project (OSR-JIP) during 2012–2014. The OSR-JIP is managed by IPIECA on behalf of OGP, in recognition of IPIECA's long-standing experience with oil spill response matters.

One of the nineteen recommendations concerned the development of an international guideline for offshore oil spill risk assessment and a method to better relate oil spill response resources to the risk level. Consequently, the OSR-JIP has published a guideline covering oil spill risk assessment and response planning for offshore installations.

This paper describes the development and content of the guideline, including how the oil spill risk assessment process provides structured and relevant information to oil spill response planning for offshore operations. The process starts by defining the context of the assessment and describing the activity to be assessed. Thereafter it addresses a series of key questions:What can go wrong, leading to potential release of oil?What happens to the spilled oil?What are the impacts on key environmental - both ecological and socio-economic - receptors?What is the risk for environmental damage?How is the established risk utilised in oil spill response planning?

The guideline draws on existing good practices in the determination of oil spill response resources. It promotes consideration, in tactical and logistical detail, of the preferred and viable response strategies to address scenarios covering the range of potential oil spills up to the most serious. The methodology to evaluate the potential spill scenarios utilizes a series of questions:What are the viable techniques/strategies to deliver response with greatest net environment benefit?What are the tactical measures required to implement the identified response strategies, considering technical, practical and safety factors?What Tiered resources are required to mount the tactical measures and achieve effective response?

The paper summarizes the useful tools, key information and the necessary level of detail essential to perform an oil spill risk assessment for use in oil spill response planning.
Research to Advance Health, Environment, and Oil System Safety in the Gulf of Mexico and other Coastal Regions: An Update from the National Academy of Sciences
Authors: Elfring Chris , Waddell Kim
Published: August 2014

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion and fire caused the release of approximately 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. As part of legal settlements with the companies involved, the federal government asked the National Academy of Sciences – an independent, non-profit organization chartered by Congress in 1863 to provide independent, expert, scientific, engineering, and healthcare advice to the nation – to establish a new $500 million, 30-year research program focused on human health, environmental protection, and oil system safety in the Gulf region. The new program, called the Gulf Research Program, is directed to work in three areas: research and development, education and training, and environmental monitoring. Activities will focus on the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) regions, but work that transfers knowledge to or from other offshore U.S. or international hydrocarbon-producing regions is allowed under the mandate. The program seeks to encourage communication and collaboration among industry, academia, and government, and will emphasize innovation, education, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary work. This paper introduces the program, summarizes program planning, outlines the program's mission and goals, and highlights first-year activities.
What has Europe learned after the Deepwater Horizon/Macondo Incident?
Authors: Bluhm Bernd , Xirotyri Lito
Published: August 2014

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) incident and the response thereto generated significant interest in Europe, in particular with regard to the safety of offshore oil and gas operations, existing oil spill response arrangements, and the potential impacts of surface and subsurface dispersant application. This paper will present the main relevant developments and actions undertaken in Europe in the years following the Macondo incident, focusing primarily on the work of the European Commission, European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and European Union (EU) Member States, as well as the work undertaken within the established Regional Agreements in Europe.

The following topics will be addressed in more detail:1)It has been considered critically important to review and enhance the regulatory arrangements in Europe relevant to the safety of oil and gas operations and to strengthening the effective response to marine oil pollution. This is being implemented at the national level by several European countries. At the level of the EU Institutions, this is being addressed by:—Issuing the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on safety of offshore oil and gas operations and amending Directive 2004/35/EC. The main elements of this Directive will be presented.—Amending the Regulation (EC) 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) by Regulation (EU) 100/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The new Regulation expands EMSA's mandate to assist EU countries in the response to oil spills from oil and gas installations and to also support in such cases other countries sharing a regional sea basin with the EU. EMSA's Action Plan in implementing its newly assigned tasks will be presented.2)EMSA provides a forum at the EU level for Member States' experts to address issues contributing to the preparedness for and response to accidental and deliberate marine pollution, including the use of dispersants and the experience gained from the DWH incident. Actions undertaken in this regard and their outcome will be presented.3)The review of the potential oil spill response options and techniques has revitalised the discussion of mechanical recovery of oil versus the application of dispersants in such a way that nowadays more and more EU States consider the use of dispersants as a possible oil spill response option. The main elements of this discussion in Europe will be presented in more detail, also within the context of the multinational cooperation in Europe executed primarily by the Regional Agreements that are in place.
Saving Lives: Critical Blood Analytes for Rehabilitation of Coastal Birds
Authors: Ratliff Cameron , Gentry Jordan , Schmalz Sharon , Hartke Kevin , Russell Karen E. , Acierno Mark , Heatley J. Jill
Published: August 2014

Coastal bird species are often affected by oil spills and can suffer damage to the kidneys, adrenal glands, salt glands, and gastrointestinal tract. Although hypothermia is often touted as the proximate cause of avian death in oil spill events, birds can ultimately succumb to these petroleum product-related injuries based on blood electrolyte and acid-base abnormalities caused by multiple organ dysfunction. However detection and treatment of these analyte abnormalities remains challenging because we know little of the nature of analytes in the healthy water bird. Blood samples were obtained from free living and rehabilitated healthy Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula), Black-bellied whistling ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis), Yellow-Crowned Night Herons (Nyctanassa violacea) and Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) from 2008–2012. Blood gas, electrolyte, and select biochemical and hematological parameters were determined in the field with a patient side analyzer while complete blood counts, packed cell volumes and osmolalities were determined by standard laboratory methods. Reference intervals and 95% confidence intervals were determined and the effect of age, sex, body condition, time and date of sampling were also assessed for all analytes. Species, lifestyle, environment, and diet all appear to have an effect on “normal” electrolyte and acid base analytes in coastal birds. An increased plasticity of and tolerance to change in blood analytes may be a normal finding in these species which may facilitate care in the response setting. The reference intervals of apparently healthy coastal birds differed from mammalian values in some instances, however these intervals will assist in the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of these species in rehabilitation and oil spill response. These values can be used to assist biologists, rehabilitators and veterinarians in assessment, management and treatment of avian species in the event of environmental disturbance, such as oil spill, draught, or tropical storm as well as to assess overall ecosystem health via coastal birds as indicator species.
Action, not Alarm: Preparing for Oil Sands Response at the Local Level
Authors: Booth Sara , Macon Rhianna
Published: August 2014

Canadian Oil Sands Products (OSP) are bitumen-derived fuels that present a variety of spill response challenges. Within the response community, however, these challenges should elicit preparedness actions, but not alarm. This paper will provide an overview of Canadian OSP; briefly describe the growing need for preparedness that is a result of the increased transportation of Canadian OSP within the U.S.; and introduce the concept that many aspects of a Canadian OSP response can be addressed through existing strategies and technologies. Most importantly, this paper will propose specific, low cost, high impact actions that can be taken at the local and regional level to better plan and prepare for a Canadian OSP spill response.
MOBEX Cayenne 2013: Lessons Learned & Response Enhancements Derived from the International Mobilization, Preparedness & Response Exercise in French Guiana
Authors: Schuler Paul A.
Published: August 2014

Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) and Clean Caribbean & Americas (CCA) conducted the first International Mobilization, Preparedness & Response Exercise (MOBEX) since the 2010 Gulf of Mexico “Macondo” incident and since the merger of CCA and OSRL in January 2013. The exercise was hosted by Shell Exploration & Production France SAS (Shell E&P), the operating partner of the Zaedyus joint venture drilling prospect offshore French Guiana. It was the first MOBEX to support a deep water exploratory drilling scenario. MOBEX Cayenne 2013, was conducted in French Guiana, May 15–17, 2013, and included the following five foundational exercise components found in all MOBEXs:Tabletop Exercise (Simulation)Mobilization of Tier 1 and 2 (Shell), and Tier 3 (OSRL) response equipment and personnelConference and Technical SeminarEquipment Deployment DemonstrationDelegate Exchange/Forum

A number of planning activities, and MOBEX itself, contributed to enhancing the overall oil spill preparedness capability in the operating area. Planning activities included coordination visits and meetings with operators and governmental authorities, familiarization with sensitive environmental resources, logistics planning within the international, national and local infrastructure, expansion of indigenous response capability through training of local responders and vessel operators, and familiarization with governmental policies and procedures across a wide range of issues. This paper discusses oil spill preparedness and response lessons learned and enhancements derived from the planning and conduct of MOBEX Cayenne 2013.
Guidelines to Prepare for Oil Sands Product Spills in Varied Aquatic Environments
Authors: Silliman Benjamin Douglas
Published: August 2014

On July 24, 2007, the Westridge Transfer Line in Burnaby, British Columbia, ruptured spilling 1,400 barrels of oil sands product into the area's storm water systems and eventually into the Burrard Inlet at Vancouver Harbor. The response to this spill was considered successful and there is no record of oil sinking. Several years later, in July of 2010, the Line 6B pipeline operated by Enbridge Energy Partners LLP ruptured spilling 20,082 barrels of oil sands product into the Kalamazoo River. In contrast to the Burnaby spill, this response was extremely difficult due to the sinking of large quantities of oil. The variance in fate and behavior of the oil sands products in these two spills demonstrates how environmental factors can result in different response challenges.

Many environmental factors affect the fate of spilled oil sands products in aquatic environments because bitumen, a large component of oil sands products, has a density greater than freshwater. By analyzing specific factors in areas at risk, responders can better prepare for, and expect, submergence in oil sands product spills. Areas identified to have low salinity, rough sedimentation, high turbidity, strong sunlight exposure, high temperatures, and strong currents have a high risk of submergence. Response teams in these areas of high risk should have submerged oil recovery equipment readily available for rapid deployment.
A numerical model to simulate the droplet formation process resulting from the release of diluted bitumen products in marine environment
Authors: Zhao Lin , Torlapati Jagadish , King Thomas , Robinson Brian , Boufadel Michel C. , Lee Kenneth
Published: August 2014

A numerical model that simulates the dispersion of oil due to the action of waves in the marine environment is presented. Model validations were performed in association with the wave tank experiments conducted in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada. Two dilbit products were considered: Access Western Blend and Cold Lake Blend. The oil droplet size distribution in the subsurface water column obtained from the experimental observations was reproduced using the droplet formation model. Special consideration was made for the simulation of wave effects on surface oil spills. Modeling results show the successful use of droplet formation model in the simulation of oil spills due to wave actions.
Dispersant Use in Ice-Affected Waters: Regulatory Status and Opportunities to Advance Decision Making
Authors: Walker Ann Hayward , Joeckel John , Daling Per
Published: August 2014

There is increasing interest in, and evolving technological capability to, conduct offshore oil and gas exploration and production operations in sensitive arctic regions. This has focused attention on oil spill preparedness and response for waters which have an ice cover for some part of the year. Given the logistical challenges associated with transporting and deploying mechanical equipment in these remote, ice-prone areas, the application of dispersants below and on the water surface is being considered as one of the ways to mitigate the impact of accidental oil spills from offshore exploration, production and transportation operations.

In 2013, the International Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) commissioned a study about using dispersants in ice-affected waters. Part of the study scope was a regulatory review concerning the dispersant use in twenty-one Northern Hemisphere nations having Arctic/ice-prone waters. An important issue for government policy and decision makers is considering where and when dispersant use might reduce the net economic and environmental damage from an oil spill. Industry is aware that their resources and knowledge can help inform nations as they examine dispersants as a response option. This paper presents an overview of the regulatory status regarding the use and/or limitations of dispersants in countries that have oil and gas exploration and production operations ice-affected waters; potential obstacles in decision making which may limit industry's ability to stand up the logistical infrastructure necessary to implement an effective dispersant operation; and potential strategies, e.g., industry technical support and stakeholder engagement, to address identified obstacles in countries with ice-affected waters.
Global Dispersant Stockpile: Part of the Industry Solution to Worst Case Scenario Readiness
Authors: Carter-Groves Melany
Published: August 2014

Within the oil industry, the lessons learned from the Macondo incident, have prompted an in depth look into readiness for worst case scenarios in the future, giving rise to a number of Joint Industry Projects. One such project was the development of response-ready subsea well capping devices. Another initiative highlighted the need for an available stockpile of dispersant. The needs for this dispersant stock stems from the unprecedented amounts of dispersant called on during the Macondo incident, for use on the surface and through the new subsea injector systems. Dispersant suppliers need several weeks to begin production, and ongoing supply flagged up limitations in acquiring some of the raw materials for manufacture.

Oil Spill Response Ltd was given the responsibility of procuring and managing the stockpile for our member companies, as the project manager in charge of procurement and implementation. It made sense to utilize and expand on the logistics already in place for the dispersant stockpile. The dispersant purchased was 5000 cu.m. of the 3 dispersants with the widest global approval for use. The figure of 5000m3 was based on what was needed 30 days of subsea and aerial dispersant use during the Macondo incident.

Unfortunately, following the incident, there were a number of 3rd party claims against the manufacturers of the dispersant. This prompted the dispersant suppliers to seek protection from the legal implications of dispersant use. Achieving this protection had to be practical for those purchasing dispersants , as well as robust enough that the dispersant suppliers were comfortable supplying their product. This resulted in a significant amount of months spent on legal negotiations. Once an agreement was reached on these issues were settled, and after the initial 30 days of dispersant for response is in place, the ongoing project will look at working with suppliers to establish stocks of raw materials and making production more reliable during an incident, as well as working with members of the industry on contingency planning and logistical considerations surrounding the stock.

Companies who subscribed to the stockpile will have 5,000 cu.m. of dispersant, split into various locations around the globe, available for both small and large incidents. Future scope for the stockpile includes tabletop and mobilization exercises to test the speed and logistics of response in preparation for an incident, which the hope is, will never happen.
A Numerical Model for Oil Droplet Evolution Emanating from Blowouts
Authors: Zhao Lin , Boufadel Michel C. , Adams E. Eric , Socolofsky Scott A. , Lee Kenneth
Published: August 2014

This paper presents the details of a numerical model that is capable of simulating the droplet size distribution emanating from blowouts. The model was obtained as a result of combination of traditional mechanistic models developed in reactors with jet (or plume) models to predict the evolution of the plume away from the orifice. Inputs to the model include the energy dissipation rate (or the mixing energy) and holdup, which is the volume fraction of oil in the control volume. These parameters vary as the plume spreads away from the orifice. They have a maximum value near the orifice and rapidly decrease as moving away from the orifice. The model was validated using experimental data available in the literature. Subsequently, the model was used to predict the evolution of droplets in the Deepwater Horizon incident. The model provides the variation of the mean diameter and the droplet size distribution with depths away from the orifice. The sensitivity of different parameters, such as interfacial tension which could present the addition of dispersants was also evaluated.
PREDICTING NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGES FROM OIL SPILLS IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Dunford Richard W. , Lynes Melissa K.
Published: August 2014

Most major oil spills in the United States result in some natural resource damages (NRD), which arise from injuries to natural resources and losses of their services. Other things being equal, larger spills lead to larger NRD. However, factors other than the number of gallons spilled can affect the subsequent amount of natural resource damages. These factors may include the type of oil spilled, the geographic location of the spill, the season in which the spill occurred, whether threatened and endangered species were injured, whether recreation closures occurred, whether the spill occurred in saltwater or freshwater, and other characteristics of the spill.

This paper presents a statistical model using multiple-regression analysis that explains variations in 86 NRD settlements for oil spills in the United States based on a variety of factors. The results of the statistical analysis identify which of the factors influence NRD settlements and the magnitude of the effect. Then, the results of the statistical model are used to predict a point estimate and 90% confidence interval for the NRD settlement for three hypothetical oil spills. Such predictions could give both Trustees (i.e., government agencies that pursue NRD claims on behalf of the public) and responsible parties a useful damage range, for planning purposes, within days of future oil spills.