BSEE Provides Details on Oil Spill Response Efforts

The agency participated in the Arctic Oil Spill Response Research and Technology Workshop on April 26.

The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement recently provided information on its efforts to improve oil spill response technologies. This outreach took place at the Arctic Oil Spill Response Research and Technology Workshop on April 26, with the results of several projects presented there, including development of a submersible skimmer prototype for oil recovery in and around broken ice.

"At the workshop, we all worked together to collectively understand the suite of response technology possibilities that are available today, as well as those that may become available in the near future," said David Moore, chief of BSEE's Oil Spill Preparedness Division. "Developing and refining technologies for oil spill response in the Arctic requires collaboration on a global scale."

Experts from the United States, Canada, Iceland, and Norway attended the event, which was organized by the Arctic Council's Working Group on Emergency Prevention. Topics discussed include traditional mechanical response countermeasures, evolving response countermeasures, and response optimization.