Utqiagvik spill response seminar planned

The U.S. Coast Guard and its partner agencies will hold a three-day oil spill response seminar for North Slope residents in Utqiagvik July 25 to 27, the Coast Guard has announced. The seminar will cover environmental law, the Incident Command System, oil spill science, the recovery of spilled oil on ice, response technologies, oiled wildlife operations, historic site preservation, international issues relating to oil spills and the use of local response teams and their resources, the Coast Guard says.

The Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and several statewide oil spill response organizations will provide capability briefings.

“We aim to provide the North Slope community residents, responders and elders awareness on North Slope oil spill preparedness, planning and response operations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jereme Altendorf, planning specialist at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. “We want the community to have assurance that we are capable to respond to an oil spill in the North Slope environment.”

The seminar will take place in the Barrow High School auditorium 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 25 to 26, with a demonstration of oil spill response equipment to be held near the Utqiagvik tank farm 9 a.m. to noon on July 27.

- ALAN BAILEY