MULTI-PLAN-HOLDER EXERCISES: A COST-EFFECTIVE PREPAREDNESS APPROACH

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 615-619
Author(s):  
Donald L. Ducey ◽  
Robert G. Pond ◽  
Ann Hayward Walker
Keyword(s):  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Local Company ◽  
Response Exercise

ABSTRACT Facilities, vessels, and pipelines regulated under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), whether owned by a major international corporation or a small local company, face organizational and technical difficulties in their efforts to comply with the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP). Response exercises are but one priority competing for the plan holder's time, personnel, and budget dollars. Operators typically lack the in-house expertise and staff to design and conduct effective exercises or to budget dollars to contract for outside support. These problems could adversely affect the plan holders and impact their ability to work within a unified command during a spill. This paper discusses the obstacles to maintaining an adequate level of preparedness through traditional exercises and describes a cost-effective, innovative approach to exercises. By working with other plan holders in the area to conduct a combination workshop and exercise for each participating company, each operator can reduce costs, improve the value of exercises, and exercise facility plans in a unique and highly focused manner. The paper discusses the key issues of designing scenarios for each plan holder in a multi-plan-holder exercise while maintaining the focus of the workshop, the value to the predesignated on-scene coordinator, and the synergistic effects of plan holders learning from one another.

Command, Control, Response and Preparedness – New Issues, New Problems, Proven Solutions

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 1003-1006
Author(s):  
Kristy Plourde ◽  
Lee Foresman
Keyword(s):  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Local Response ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
National Response ◽  
Control Response ◽  
Response Exercise

ABSTRACT Since the enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA ’90), the National Response System (NRS) preparedness program has been responsible for the steady evolution and improvement in the response readiness of the “community as a whole” – Area (local), Regional and National. While the direct impact that any one specific component of the NRS preparedness programs have had on the response to a spill may be difficult to evaluate, local response communities and plan holders continue to attest to the value of preparedness in improving their response capabilities. The M/V KURE Spill in Eureka, California in September 1996 is another example of the value of the current Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP). Key government and industry stakeholders exercised only three months before the spill and were able to quickly come together to respond to this incident. In the aftermath of 9/11/01, the NRS is again facing the challenge of having to make significant changes to response management processes in response to the increased likelihood of a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incident requiring the implementation of the National Contingency Plan (NCP). While the tactical response of how oil, hazardous materials, and other pollutants are contained, recovered, and stored/disposed of remains the same (i.e. a response is a response) – the NRS is faced with the addition of new players with input into, and participation in overall (strategy development) response management development, and changes in how some response tactics are implemented. The NRS preparedness programs are proven approaches for improving local readiness and assisting the NRS in adapting to the changes in response management brought on by OPA ‘90. If it can do it for one change, why shouldn't it be used to support the development of changes needed after 9/11?

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS FOR RESPONSE EXERCISE PROGRAM1

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 543-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Michael Kurgan ◽  
Karen Laney
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
National Preparedness ◽  
Response Exercise

ABSTRACT The National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) was developed to meet the intent of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). PREP is a unified federal effort and incorporates the exercise requirements of the Coast Guard; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Office of Pipeline Safety; and the Minerals Management Service. (MMS). Each year 20 PREP area exercises are held: six led by the federal government and 14 led by the industry. Five of the six government-led exercises are conducted in coastal areas where the Coast Guard is designated as the federal on-scene coordinator (FOSC). One is held in an inland region where the EPA is the FOSC. Each government-led pollution simulation typically involves more than 40 agencies and more than 400 participants. The PREP simulations focus on a geographical community response to a pollution incident with a unified command structure. The unified command is supported by the four basic elements of an incident command system: planning, operations, logistics, and finance. Area PREP exercises create realistic situations focusing on specific objectives. Emphasis is placed on the realism and decision-making process throughout the entire 30 weeks it takes to prepare an exercise. The National Strike Force Coordination Center collects data from critiques and other aspects of the exercise to help create and develop a standard for exercise evaluation. Data collected and lessons learned at each exercise are disseminated throughout the oil spill industry.

SALVORS AND THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM: WHERE DO THEY FIT IN?1

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1045-1050
Author(s):  
Timothy Y. Deal ◽  
Gary Reiter ◽  
Dick Fairbanks ◽  
Bob Umbdenstock
Keyword(s):  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Spill Control ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Consensus Decision Making

ABSTRACT The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) and implementing regulations are largely silent on the importance of salvage in protecting the marine environment during a spill or the substantial threat of a spill. Recent responses have clearly confirmed that salvage can be the primary form of marine pollution control and that it must become a conspicuous component of any Incident Command System (ICS) exercise, actual or training. ICS documentation and National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP) exercises still do not give appropriate prominence to salvage operations. Important organizational and management issues must be addressed so that a Unified Command can integrate effective salvage response with its management of spill control and cleanup operations. Important factors influence relationships between public representatives, the responsible party (RP), and the salvor. The Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) and State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) represent OPA 90's demand for public oversight of response operations. The RP is obligated to deliver competent salvage assistance immediately. Salvors respond to dynamic conditions and contract terms defining payment may influence their approach. Public representatives generally are not experienced in the commercial, technical, and practical aspects of salvage. Salvors, who historically have had exclusive control over salvage operations, may be constrained by multi-jurisdictional organization that emphasizes consensus decision making. For effective use of an ICS integrating salvage, all parties must appreciate the others' motivations. For the FOSC and SOSC, this entails an appreciation for the technical and contractual pressures on the commercial salvor. For the salvors, it is learning to work in a public environment. The challenge is to use ICS flexibility to its fullest advantage. Salvors' proper fit into the organization can maximize the response synergy the Unified Command can deploy. This paper identifies obstacles to the integration of salvage into ICS and offers recommendations to improve ICS organizational relationships to maximize the benefits of professional salvage services.

Electrochemical cleaning of soils with different concentrations of oil pollution using a single source of electrical voltage

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 674-680
Author(s):  
Nikolay S. Shulaev ◽  
◽  
Valeriya V. Pryanichnikova ◽  
Ramil R. Kadyrov ◽  
Inna V. Ovsyannikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Chemical Reagents ◽  
Electrode Space ◽  
Soil Excavation ◽  
Interelectrode Resistance

The most essential scientifific and practical task in the area of ecological safety of pipelines operation is the development and improvement of methods of purifification and restoration of oil-contaminated soils. One of the most effificient and cost effective methods is electrochemical purifification, that does not require the use of expensive chemical reagents and soil excavation. However, the consideration of non-uniform contamination of various soil sections is required. The article examines the features of the organization and technological infrastructure for electrochemical purifification of non-uniformly contaminated soils when using a single electrical energy source, a method for calculating the design parameters of the corresponding installation is proposed. Effificient purifification of non-uniformly contaminated soil when using a specifified voltage is possible through the use of different-sized electrodes. For each soil type, the amount of transmitted electric charge required for soil purifification is determined by the concentration of the contaminant. Allocation of cathodes and anodes as parallel batteries and their connection using individual buses is an effective and energy-effificient solution, since an almost-uniform electric fifield is created in an inter-electrode space, thus allowing the reduction of the interelectrode resistance of the medium.

A Collaborative Approach to Upgrading to Limits of Technology at the York River Treatment Plant

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Venner ◽  
J. Husband ◽  
J. Noonan ◽  
A. Nelson ◽  
D. Waltrip
Keyword(s):  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Nutrient Reduction ◽  
York River ◽  
Hampton Roads ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Virginia Department

In response to rapid population growth as well as to address the nutrient reduction goals for the Chesapeake Bay established by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) initiated the York River Treatment Plant (YRTP) Expansion Phase 1 project. The existing YRTP is a conventional step-feed activated sludge plant and is rated for an average daily design flow of 57 million liters per day (MLD). This project proposes to expand the existing treatment capacity to 114 MLD and to reduce the nutrients discharged to the York River, a tributary for the Chesapeake Bay. In order to meet the effluent limits set by the VDEQ, a treatment upgrade to limit of technology (LOT) or enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) was required. Malcolm Pirnie worked with HRSD and the VDEQ to develop and evaluate ENR process alternatives to achieve the required effluent limits with the goal of determining the most reliable and cost effective alternative to achieve the aggressive nutrient reduction goals. This paper will highlight the key issues in determining the most desirable treatment process considering both economic and non-economic factors.

Monitoring of Petroleum-Related Environmental Contamination Using Fluorescence Fingerprinting

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Literathy ◽  
M. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Contamination ◽  
Statistical Evaluation ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Aromatic Components ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Petroleum and its refined products are considered the most complex contaminants frequently impacting the environment in significant quantities. They have heterogeneous chemical composition and alterations occur during environmental weathering. No single analytical method exists to characterize the petroleum-related environmental contamination. For monitoring, the analytical approaches include gravimetric, spectrometric and chromatographic methods having significant differences in their selectivity, sensitivity and cost-effectiveness. Recording fluorescence fingerprints of the cyclohexane extracts of the water, suspended solids, sediment or soil samples and applying appropriate statistical evaluation (e.g. by correlating the concatenated emission spectra of the fingerprints of the samples with arbitrary standards (e.g. petroleum products)), provides a powerful, cost-effective analytical tool for characterization of the type of oil pollution and detecting the most harmful aromatic components of the petroleum contaminated matrix. For monitoring purposes, the level of the contamination can be expressed as the equivalent concentration of an appropriate characteristic standard, based on the fluorescence intensities at the relevant characteristic wavelengths. These procedures are demonstrated in the monitoring of petroleum-related pollution in the water and suspended sediment in the Danube river basin

scholarly journals Electrochemical Biosensors in Food Safety: Challenges and Perspectives

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2940
Author(s):  
Antonella Curulli
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Electrochemical Sensors ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Electrochemical Biosensors ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Skilled Personnel ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Key Issues

Safety and quality are key issues for the food industry. Consequently, there is growing demand to preserve the food chain and products against substances toxic, harmful to human health, such as contaminants, allergens, toxins, or pathogens. For this reason, it is mandatory to develop highly sensitive, reliable, rapid, and cost-effective sensing systems/devices, such as electrochemical sensors/biosensors. Generally, conventional techniques are limited by long analyses, expensive and complex procedures, and skilled personnel. Therefore, developing performant electrochemical biosensors can significantly support the screening of food chains and products. Here, we report some of the recent developments in this area and analyze the contributions produced by electrochemical biosensors in food screening and their challenges.

scholarly journals Research Progress and Key Issues of Hydrodebenzylation of Hexabenzylhexaazaisowurtzitane (HBIW) in the Synthesis of High Energy Density Material Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW)

Materials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 409
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Tang ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
Tianjing Shi ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Xiaochen Niu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Specific Impulse ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Energy ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
Key Issues

High energy density materials (HEDM) are the subject of an extensive research effort in relation to the use of these compounds as components of rocket propellants, powders, and formulations of high-performance explosives. Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW, i.e., CL-20) has received much attention in these research fields for its specific impulse, burning rate, ballistics, and detonation velocity. In this paper, the development and performances of the explosives from the first to the fourth generation are briefly summarized, and the synthesis status of the fourth-generation explosive, HNIW, is reviewed. The key issues that restrict the development of industrial amplification synthesis of HNIW are analyzed, and the potential directions of development are proposed. It is pointed out that to synthesize new and efficient catalysts is the key to making the cost-effective manufacturing of CL-20 a reality.

Key issues facing genebanks in preserving crop genetic diversity ex situ: overview of the range of challenges

2021 ◽  
pp. 139-154
Author(s):  
Paula Bramel ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Crop Genetic Diversity ◽  
Ex Situ Collections ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Market Preference ◽  
The Impact

This chapter reviews the key issues and challenges facing genebanks in preserving crop genetic diversity ex situ. Local crop genetic diversity is challenged with changes in land use, urbanization, land degradation, changes in agricultural practises, availability of improved varieties, changes in market preference, and the impact of climate change. Efforts have been made to secure plant genetic resources ex situ for future use but there are significant issues related to cost effective, efficient, secure, rational, and sustainable long-term ex situ conservation. It begins by addressing issues for the composition of ex situ collections and moves on to discuss issues for routine operations for conservation. The chapter also highlights issues for the use of conserved genetic resources, before concluding with a summary of why the development of sustainable genebank systems is so important.

scholarly journals Electrospinning Ag-TiO2 Nanorod-Loaded Air Treatment Filters and Their Applications in Air Purification

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 3369
Author(s):  
Shan-Jiang Wang ◽  
Xiao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Dan Su ◽  
Yun-Fan Wang ◽  
Chun-Meng Qian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Electrospinning Process ◽  
Advanced Materials ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Efficient Treatment ◽  
Air Treatment ◽  
Tio2 Nanorod

The efficient treatment of the problem of air pollution is a practical issue related to human health. The development of multi-functional air treatment filters, which can remove various kinds of pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) and organic gases, is a tireless pursuit aiming to address the actual needs of humans. Advanced materials and nano-manufacturing technology have brought about the opportunity to change conventional air filters for practical demands, with the aim of achieving the high-efficiency utilization of photons, a strong catalytic ability, and the synergetic degradation of multi-pollutants. In this work, visible-responding photocatalytic air treatment filters were prepared and combined with a fast and cost-effective electrospinning process. Firstly, we synthesized Ag-loaded TiO2 nanorod composites with a controlled size and number of loaded Ag nanoparticles. Then, multi-functional air treatment filters were designed by loading catalysts on electrospinning nanofibers combined with a programmable brush. We found that such Ag-TiO2 nanorod composite-loaded nanofibers displayed prominent PM filtration (~90%) and the degradation of organic pollutants (above 90%). The superior performance of purification could be demonstrated in two aspects. One was the improvement of the adsorption of pollutants derived from the increase of the specific surface area after the loading of catalysts, and the other was the plasmonic hot carriers, which induced a broadening of the optical absorption in the visible light range, meaning that many more photons were utilized effectively. The designed air treatment filters with synergistic effects for eliminating both PM and organic pollutants have promising potential for the future design and application of novel air treatment devices.

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