The public value of building large oil spill response vessels in Korea

ABSTRACT Faced with training and travel dollar constraints, California's Department of Fish and Game and the 11th U.S. Coast Guard District worked to form a multiorganizational partnership designed to leverage required resources to conduct a premier operational-level oil spill response training program in the state. The partnership included no less than six major organizations from both the public and private sectors, each playing critical roles in planning and conducting the training. Major hurdles overcome were curriculum development and operational support. Both of these challenges were resolved through a unified management approach in which the ultimate objective became success of the course. The lessons learned from the program provide guidance and rationale for future such efforts.

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Dispersant-Related Oil Spill Response Communication Tools: Toward an Enhanced Approach to Conveying Complex Topics in an Approachable Manner

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.1163 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 (1) ◽

pp. 1163-1171

Author(s):

Thomas Coolbaugh ◽

Erik DeMicco ◽

Emily Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Extensive Study ◽

Optimal Decision ◽

Specific Response ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Response Options ◽

The Public ◽

Scientific Principles ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

Informed Opinion

ABSTRACT During the response to the Macondo Well release in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, it became evident fairly quickly that there was a potential disconnect between existing scientifically-based information relating to the use of oil spill dispersants and the information that was readily available to the general public, the media, and government officials. At best, both sets of information were aligned and provided a valuable perspective to those who sought an increased understanding of the workings of oil spill response tools. At worst, there was a large misalignment and the information that was available to the public did not accurately reflect the known science of what dispersants have been designed to achieve. In this latter case, conclusions about dispersant use may have been formed incorrectly, providing a backdrop upon which individuals were not able to develop an informed opinion regarding the use of dispersants. In the case where incomplete and potentially unbalanced information is used to inform the public, it is possible that negative effects will result, i.e., opinions may be formed based on fear of the unknown, causing a delayed or less than optimal decision making process. While it is recognized that decisions made during a spill response may be challenging and may involve an environmental trade-off, an informed public can be a valuable asset during the stages of an emergency response when the pros and cons of the specific response options are being debated. To assist with an informed dialog, it is important to have materials available that accurately reflect the scientific principles upon which they are based, but without requiring extensive study of their details for a general understanding of their primary assumptions and conclusions. This paper summarizes recent efforts to develop readily available materials that can provide a better understanding of the use of dispersants during an offshore oil spill response. These efforts have been focused on developing simple yet effective tools which describe dispersants within the framework of an oil spill response tool box and the scenarios in which these tools may be used for the most positive environmental effect.

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ARE AUTOMATED SPILL RESPONSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OVERKILL?

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1997-1-493 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 1997 (1) ◽

pp. 493-497

Author(s):

Scott L. McCreery

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Computer Software ◽

Oil Industry ◽

Management Systems ◽

Software Developers ◽

The Public ◽

Mapping System ◽

Share Data ◽

Significant Step ◽

Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT Automated spill response management systems (ASRMSs) represent a significant step forward in oil spill response management. They combine a group of computer software tools that allow members of the spill management team to gather and share data and assimilate information more efficiently and effectively, automating information management within the framework of the response organizational structure. They also allow a broad range of electronic information to be depicted graphically in a geo-referenced mapping system so as to display a clear picture of the incident situation to the unified commanders and the public. However, efforts by the software development industry to introduce ASRMSs to the spill response community have been marked by defeat. The author, who has been involved in the development of several ASRMSs, sees this as a function of reluctance on the part of the oil industry and the oil spill response industry to accept new ways of managing a spill response. The author also views these failures as resulting from the temptation of software developers to build big, expensive ASRMSs that attempt to be all things to all people.

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DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM IN OIL SPILL DISPERSANT OPERATIONS1

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-139 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2005 (1) ◽

pp. 139-141

Author(s):

Jeffrey H. Rubini

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Minor Component ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Alternative Response ◽

Training And Education ◽

The Public ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

A Minor

ABSTRACT Governments and industry, both national and international, contend that dispersants are an effective and practical response option under certain circumstances. However, a comprehensive training and education program in dispersant operations used to establish a baseline of understanding among responders and stakeholders is lacking. Dispersant operations have played a positive and significant role on numerous oil spills in both national and international waters, yet a curriculum in dispersant operations remains a minor component of oil spill response course curricula. This may suggest that decision makers, responders and ultimately the public and environment are being shortchanged of alternative response technology training and education, which essentially fails to meet the needs of regional response teams, area committees, natural resource trustees, and the general oil spill response community's future decision makers. Supported through case study analyses and critical argumentation, this paper presents an oil spill dispersant operations curriculum that governments and industry, both national and international, can adapt.

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The Public Value of Reducing the Incidence of Oil Spill Accidents in Korean Rivers

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10041172 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 1172 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hye-Jeong Lee ◽

Hyo-Jin Kim ◽

Seung-Hoon Yoo

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Public Value ◽

The Public

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THE OILING OF ICS

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1993-1-25 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 1993 (1) ◽

pp. 25-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Steve Hunter

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Public And Private ◽

Role Of Government ◽

The Public ◽

Incident Command ◽

Industry Standard ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

Crisis Managers

ABSTRACT The incident command system (ICS) works for oil spills. It should be the industry standard and some will argue that it already is. But there are a number of temptations to fiddle with it. Fueling these inclinations is the fundamental difference between oil spills and natural disasters: Oil spills make the perpetrator fix the problem—under heavy oversight. Add to this difference the public outcry that attends oil spills and the dual role of government as both helper and prosecutor. From these conditions emerge adaptations of ICS which both weaken and strengthen it. The benefits of ICS are diminished by deputy incident commanders who block unified commanders from access to section chiefs, over-zealous crisis managers who displace command post decisions or its information office, separate press offices with party line slants, government law enforcement activity mixed into spill response, nonstandard operations terminology and structure involving “containment and cleanup” or “salvage,” and the commingling of public and private response funds. ICS's application to oil spill response is strengthened by the use of trained unified commanders, deputy incident commanders who operate as staff rather than line, crisis managers who support on-scene objectives, joint information centers, and heavy involvement of skilled, prepared environmental assessment teams in the planning section who generate priorities, strategies, and (operationally coordinated) tactics. Technically, not all these points constitute alterations of ICS, but most do and the others come close. This mixed bag of strengthening and weakening tweaks to oil spill ICS provides an opportunity to take a new look at this faithful friend to the crisis responder.

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State of Science of Dispersants and Dispersed Oil in U.S. Arctic Waters

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.000317 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (1) ◽

pp. 2017317

Author(s):

Nancy E. Kinner ◽

Doug Helton ◽

Gary Shigenaka

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Bering Sea ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

The State ◽

The Arctic ◽

The Public ◽

Dispersed Oil ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

The U.S ◽

The Bering Sea

Use of dispersants was very limited in the U.S. prior to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in 2010. For that spill, the volume of dispersants applied, as well as the sub sea injection, was unprecedented. It has been suggested that dispersants could be a response option to a large oil spill in the Arctic, particularly because of the remoteness and harsh environmental conditions. One of the outcomes of a 2014 Arctic oil spill drill for senior U.S. agency leadership identified the need for a definitive evaluation of the state-of-science of dispersants and dispersed oil (DDO), particularly as it applies to Arctic waters. For the purposes of this evaluation, the U.S. Arctic is defined as including the Bering Sea and waters as far south as the Aleutian Islands. The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) convened five panels of governmental, academic, NGO, and private sector experts to determine the state of DDO science, specifically the knowns and uncertainties. The panels focused on the following five topics: Efficacy and Effectiveness, Physical Transport and Chemical Behavior; Degradation and Fate; Public Health and Food Security; and Eco-Toxicity and Sublethal Impacts. Activities conducted by the CRRC included: collating and constructing a database of the existing scientific literature, and facilitating the discussions of each panel of scientists over a period of 1.5 years. Once each panel had formulated its document regarding the state-of-science (i.e., knowns and uncertainties) regarding DDO, particularly as it applies to Arctic waters, the CRRC requested written input from the public on what to add, remove or change about these statements. Finally, each panel reviewed the public input and decided upon its final statements of knowns and uncertainties. This paper will present a summary of the statements and their implications for the use of dispersants in oil spill response in U.S. Arctic waters.

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Needs, Limitations, and Opportunities of Automated Decision Support Systems

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1999-1-849 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 1999 (1) ◽

pp. 849-853

Author(s):

Ann Hayward Walker ◽

Don Costanzo ◽

Marc Heard ◽

David McLain

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Information Flow ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Organizational Support ◽

The United States ◽

The Public ◽

Incident Command ◽

Support Tools ◽

Expectation Management ◽

Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT In the fast-paced environment of oil spill response, management decisions often must be made rapidly for situations that are complex. Researchers previously identified six factors that are critical to achieving a successful oil spill response, one of which specifically concerns information management: “The response system must be able to communicate and manage information internally and externally.” Effective information flow is critical to spill management and expectation management of the public. This paper describes information flow, as it relates to all levels of organizational support during an oil spill response, that is critical to making timely and appropriate decisions. Given the United States' policy to use Incident Command System (ICS) as the preferred management system for oil spill response, the focus of the discussion is on ICS-based management systems. In addition, needs and opportunities for using automated decision support tools in the emergency environment are discussed.

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