Conference Schedule

No Registration Fee; Sponsored by Chevron; Lunch Included
Maximum 50 Attendees

Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) is a common Ecosystem Services accounting tool used to compare losses and gains in ecological services to determine the proper scale, or size, of a restoration project(s). HEA considers time to function and employs discounting to account for the difference in time between when the injury occurred and when the restoration services are delivered. The net present value of lost/credit services in units termed “discounted service-acre years” (dSAYs) serves as the ‘exchange rate’ in the analysis. The goal is to provide sufficient compensatory ecological service gains, credit dSAYs, to offset ecological service losses commonly referred to as “injury”. Other habitat units can serve as the basis for equivalency analysis, e.g., stream or riparian habitat miles, to evaluate linear habitat features, which would be denominated in discounted stream service mile years (dSSMYs).

This one-day workshop is intended for those involved in assessing habitat damage and planning habitat restoration. HEA mathematics, ecological considerations and programming will be covered and specific case examples will be used to elucidate the process of comparing restoration alternatives.

Registration Fee: $149

This four hour workshop will address the effects of oil on wildlife, laws and regulations pertaining to wildlife rehabilitation and oiled wildlife response and the zoonotic and other hazards associated with oiled wildlife response. Appropriate protective measures and best practices for record keeping, handling, triage and care of wildlife affected by oil will be reviewed. Recommendations for personnel/volunteer training and safety as well as future advances and plans for oiled wildlife response will be addressed emphasizing cooperative efforts and techniques to improve bird survival.

Registration Fee: $149

This workshop is an overview of the Incident Management System for senior managers and executives. It will include an in-depth discussion of how to apply NIMS-related lessons learned from the DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill Incident-Specific Preparedness Review.

No Registration Fee; Sponsored by: Nalco Environmental Solutions LLC; Lunch Included
Maximum 100 Attendees

Dispersants are an oil spill countermeasure that has been used on a number of occasions including the DWH response, to reduce the adverse effects of spilled oil on the environment. This workshop will cover the basics of dispersant use.

Dispersant Basics

• Science
• Effectiveness
• Limitations
• Future Work

No Registration Fee; Sponsored by: Nalco Environmental Solutions LLC; Lunch Included
Maximum 100 Attendees

This short course is offered by the responders experienced in the largest aerial dispersant operation in the US. It is designed for those who have a management responsibility (industry and government) for future oil spills involving surface treatment (aerial or boat spray application) by dispersants. Participants will learn about the major considerations in planning for and managing an aerial dispersant program. Topics will include among others: pre-spill training, dispersant stockpile management, implementing dispersant operations (e.g., effective use of dispersant application equipment), incident management implications for dispersants, planning for daily reporting and information flow, stakeholder engagement, scientific activities, and media/external communications.

No Registration Fee, Sponsored by Det Norske Veritas (U.S.A.) Inc. in collaboration with The Royal Norwegian Embassy, The Royal Norwegian Consulate General , Houston and Innovation Norway, Houston

DNV is pleased to continue a sponsorship series of Clean Gulf workshops to bring to the oil spill response community awareness of alternative approaches, updates and a better understanding of “Risk Based” management in the oil spill response planning and preparedness.

The continuous growing demand for fossil energy and society’s zero tolerance for accidents that can impact life, property or the environment have placed new challenges on governments and corporations for transparency expectations and new and effective regulatory requirements. This new risk reality requires a comprehensive understanding of risk and efficient risk management approaches.

Complete elimination of risks is not an option; effectively managing the risks is, however. The ability to identify, assess and mitigate risks by minimizing, limiting, transferring or controlling their potential negative consequences is a required approach to safeguard and improve business performance, while at the same time meeting society’s expectations to safeguard life, property and the environment.

This workshop will present and discuss risk based management topics of interest to oil producers, drilling companies, terminal and transport operators and regulators to assist them in enhancing their environmental response preparedness, performance and reputation. The topics will be presented by Norwegian Coastal Administration, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues (IPIECA), oil spill response experts from SINTEF as well as DNV.

Topics that will be covered:

• The Norwegian approach to national oil spill response preparedness
• “Risk Based Management” What is it all about?
• Environmental Risk Analysis(ERA) – A cutting edge approach
• Oil Spill Contingency Analysis – Raising the bar on spill response preparedness
• Navigational Risk Assessments – Understanding the “real” spill risks from vessels
• Presentation of Norwegian oil spill response competence (NOSCA)

No Registration Fee; Sponsored by Phoenix Pollution Control

A Workshop in Lessons Learned from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill & Possible Opportunities For Future Improvements THIS IS NOT A DRILL - AND THE ISSUES ARE REAL! Challenges That You Never Trained On Or Included In A Drill Scenario The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill presented numerous challenges to Wildlife Operations throughout the entire response. The scope and magnitude of wildlife issues was unprecedented in spill response history. The multi-State, multi-jurisdictional response required unique organization and planning approaches. This workshop explores many of the logistical and planning challenges that were encountered and will present solutions and products that were developed to address the broad spectrum of issues and challenges. The workshop will provide participants (industry and area committee representatives) with a basis for enhancing pre-spill contingency planning in hopes of utilizing lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon to make future Wildlife Operations more efficient and faster.

Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) and Perspectives on the New Regulatory and Operating Environment

It has been over a year since the Deepwater Horizon incident, but many important developments continue to evolve from this incident. This year’s Mega Session will touch on important points from the spill and ISPR Report, and look ahead to the future of the Gulf with new developments and initiatives that will impact the operator and response communities. Speakers will include representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the operating and drilling industry.

The response to the Deepwater Horizon-MC 252 oil spill included a comprehensive Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) program with multiple SCAT Teams operating across the coastal zones in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The program was managed and calibrated to have a consistent and standardized data collection and data management process across all states and environments. This session will include presentations by SCAT Managers, Team Leaders, and/or Technical Advisors who were directly involved with surveying shorelines, making assessments of the oiling conditions, and developing treatment recommendations as to the appropriate cleanup methodology, including constraints (ecological/cultural) and criteria for cleanup completion.

This session will focus on current and emerging technologies presented by oil spill response experts from a diverse background represented by both industry and government experts. These presentations will focus on the evaluation of oil spill technologies and provide a practical approach to the methods, conditions and opportunities in which implementation of these technologies may be utilized. Covered in this session will be topics such as Developing Effective Waste Management Programs for Emergency Response Events (MC252 lessons learned), High Capacity Advancing Oil Recovery System Performance Testing at Ohmsett, Remote Sensing, GIS/Mapping as well as other new emerging technologies.

Source control, efficient equipment mobilization and valuable exercises are elements of a successful response. These three topics will be discussed to assist, inform and educate attendees on the value of coordinated response through mutual aid.

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the regulatory landscape has undergone a torrent of review, revision and change. To date, this trend continues with no end in sight. In this session, speakers will provide updates on how BSEE regulatory changes have impacted oil and gas operations and the spill readiness posture in the in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, a Coast Guard representative will address the contingency planning process for a Worst case Discharge.

"Never been seen before technology to recover oil spills and make them go away." "Processes that remove the spilled oil from the environment." Are these claims real? Join us in a panel discussion on evaluation of innovative ideas to combat the oil spill as well as process to get these ideas to market. Listen to best practice with BP’s ART Program as well as new ideas from experts to improve response and recovery.

Command and control of disaster response operations is a complex endeavor requiring the coordinated planning and actions of multiple players from multiple responding agencies and jurisdictions. Prior to April 2010, almost all oil spill incidents and exercises in the US were managed using the organizational structure prescribed in NIMS ICS as described in the 2006 edition of the USCG Incident Management Handbook. This response structure was appropriate for industry and agencies to use for the incidents that occurred. The concept of an appropriate command and control structure has changed over time, plus the size and scale of the DWH event forced adaptive change during the response to the tried and true methods used previously. This session’s focus is on the adaptive changes to ICS that worked well in the SONS event.

The requirements and challenges with subsea surveillance after a major event is critical. In addition, the planning for debris removal is an important step for a successful operation for allowing capping a leaking well. The use of risk management and the calculation of probabilities is an area that requires specialized personnel.

This session will include lessons learned in working with media and management of information while dealing with a large spill event.

Hear what you need to know to conduct business in the Gulf directly from the federal and state regulators who are responsible for implementation and enforcement. Representatives include: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Texas General Land Office, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation & Enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard and EPA.

Recent media coverage of inland spills in both the US and Canada has provided a stimulus for discussion on the operational and political challenges experienced in response to spills in the in-shore environment. This session seeks to present case studies from response planning efforts and incident response. Our goal is to highlight some of the key lessons learned from planning and responding to spills into inland waters.

This session will update attendees on the current status of efforts to redefine oil spill response plan review standards.

Simultaneous operations are a critical part of emergency response. Companies that have a successful ER/SIMOPS consider the following: command and control, vessel tracking, comprehensive communications, and safe air traffic control.

Last year's three major oil spills demonstrated the effectiveness of Unified Command-that tried and true tool we have used to manage responses for two decades. Last year's incidents also highlighted some of the areas that still need to be addressed by response managers to ensure future success. This session looks at where we were, how we got to where we are, and where we are going from here--all from the perspective of responders who have repeatedly proven themselves within a Unified Command.

This past year has brought a heightened sense of awareness to response and protection of resources at risk following a significant event, and how to better protect and understand the importance of those resources at all levels. Wildlife and environmental response capabilities are progressing and many lessons have been learned. The speakers in this session will lead you through both previously proven processes and new and innovative approaches to care for both the environment and the wildlife that call these coastal and inland habitats home.

Planning and management of response events associated with Deepwater Horizon emphasized numerous operational and regulatory considerations Unified Command and Oil Spill Response Organizations (OSRO) must jointly consider when planning response strategies. This event placed unprecedented demands on response resources as well as trained expertise to respond in a proper manner while maintaining a proper level of response equipment in other operational areas. Based on lessons learned, this panel of experts will discuss the challenges and considerations of: A.) Effective Cascading of Response Resources; what is the proper level of response equipment required in an operational area? Can regulation waivers allow plan holders to allow areas to reduce response capabilities? B.) Effective Oil Spill Equipment Utilization; organized requisitioning of resources through a logistical ordering process in concert with planning, staging and field operations versus blanket ordering of all known resources. Demobilization and relocation of assets deemed ineffective or no longer required in a specific operational area. C.) Equipment – How much is enough? D.) Formal Spill Response Training; what is the proper level of hand's on spill response training for the Incident Command Post, and field responders? How do oil spill contractors ensure their direct employees and responders are ready for the job?

The proper application of subsea chemicals is a concern in deepwater. The operation conducts plume modeling and sampling of the water column when using chemicals. In addition, the need for flow assurance is critical for success.

Representatives from the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and representatives from NOAA and the USFWS will update Clean Gulf Attendees, to the extent legally possible, on the status of the Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDA) case associated with the Deepwater Horizon release.

Currently the Federal partners and the Gulf States and their representatives are working on early restoration plans and projects to compensate the public for associated with the Deepwater Horizon release.

Potential projects proposed include: restoration of impacted habitats and species to acquisition of habitats to compensate the public for losses which occurred during the release.

Each state and federal representative will have the opportunity to let attendees know how they are working their way through this process and where possible, reflect on long terms goals.

Safety is the first consideration in any response and should be one of the major determining factors when weighing response options. This session will discuss the use of credentialed NIMS ICS Safety Officers and pre-approved all hazards safety plans. The training, documentation and oversight of thousands of volunteers during large responses to ensure safety and proper coordination will also be examined. The hazards presented by oil spills and how this can be effectively communicated to workers and the public, as well as how to properly monitor those hazards will be discussed. Finally, the session will cover how to properly sample areas of impact during a response in order to ensure the safety of the responders and the community that has been affected.

A commercial salvor will present an overview of the implementation of the salvage and marine firefighting regulations which will include a discussion of lessons learned and suggestions to improve the process for this challenging regulatory initiative. A discussion of the perspective of the public fire service on shipboard firefighting will be given by a municipal fire captain. This issue will be of interest to agency representatives, vessel operators, and municipal and commercial firefighters. The issue of abandoned and derelict vessels along the Gulf Coast-and their threat to the environment-will be addressed by a NOAA senior program analyst. Finally, an update on the proposed response plan regulations for hazardous substances for both vessels and facilities will be given by a chemical trading company executive who is presently serving as Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee chair.

This session will discuss the current status of the deepwater subsea containment systems and future developments. It will also identify the current regulatory status.

Vessels of opportunity, pipelines, and academia offer bonus and bane when incorporated into a response. This panel offers insights concerning these resources and other “special issues” concerning spills.