BSEE participates in Arctic work group

As part of U.S. involvement in the Arctic Council, the international forum of Arctic nations, staff from the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s Oil Spill Preparedness Division participated in an international oil spill workshop, BSEE said. The workshop, hosted by Denmark, focused on the impacts of Arctic meteorological and oceanographic conditions on traditional oil spill response strategies, BSEE said in a Nov. 25 press release. The agency said that 28 policy and research subject matter experts from government, non-government and industry organizations were invited to the workshop.

The workshop came as part of a project that the Arctic Council’s Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response working group approved in late 2014, to study the impacts of environmental factors such as wind, temperature, sea state and ice coverage on spill response tactics. The project, co-led by the United States, Denmark and Norway, is the first study that unifies input from the eight Arctic nations, BSEE said. An understanding of the manner in which environmental factors may constrain the effective use of mechanical oil recovery, in-situ burning and oil dispersants will provide a better understanding of the risks posed by oil spills in high latitudes, the agency said.

The Arctic Council working group that approved the project addresses various aspects of the prevention of, preparedness for and response to environmental emergencies in the Arctic, with working group members sharing information about best practices; conducting projects to develop guidance and methodologies; and carrying out response exercises and training specific to the Arctic, BSEE said.

- ALAN BAILEY