In the wake of the Barge DM932 oil spill in New Orleans (2008) and several other major spills in recent years, NOAA's Assessment & Restoration Division (ARD) has developed a series of standardized assessment products to improve our emergency Natural Resource Damage Assessment capabilities. ARD will follow product development in 15 core areas with targeted field training to standardize and streamline ephemeral data collection and management within the agency and collaboration with other agencies.

Wetlands restoration can be used to mitigate for oil spill impacts on coastal wetlands. Our study examined the ecological efficacy of different construction designs by quantifying the development of plant and animal communities in created marshes. The results of our research should facilitate the development of ecologically effective and economically efficient restoration practices.

CRUCIAL details 2-year development of new oil recovery technology. Standard smooth disc skimmers are coated with new fibrous material to increase oil collection capacity by 500%. Various tests were conducted at Ohmsett utilizing Alaska North Slope Crude Oil.

In December, 2008, a ground breaking In-Situ Burn (ISB) Practitioners Workshop was sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The workshop brought together for the first time wild land fire management specialists, Federal trustees, researchers, industry members, and a representative from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The workshop focused on providing field practitioners with an opportunity to share their expertise, define best practices and lessons learned, and develop a forward looking plan to advance ISB policy, research and training for the oil spill response community.

A Ph.D research project funded by the Coastal Research Response Center of NOAA-NHU and proposed by Dr. J. Englehardt, professor of the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Department of the University of Miami. The model uses Bayesian statistics' limited data techniques in its core instead of hydrodynamic or other fate and transport theory to assess the need for cost-effective tracking of already sunken oil following a spill, which allows achieving rapid response. The algorithm of the model, the underlying Bayesian theory along with its applicability and the final result programmed and compiled in a computer GUI application are summarized in this presentation by M. Angelica Echavarria-Gregory, Ph.D Candidate and developer of the project.

Sponsored by Shell Exploration & Production Company

Limited to 30 Attendees

This session will present an overview of oiled wildlife response. Topics include USFWS laws regarding wildlife during an oiled wildlife response, the role of the USCG during an oiled wildlife response and the role of wildlife rehabilitation in the ICS. The class will emphasize the safety requirements necessary when responding to oiled wildlife with an emphasis on working with volunteers. In addition, presentations will include the affects of oil on wildlife, collection, triage, stabilization, cleaning, and release. The hands-on section of the class will include gavage feeding of domestic ducks. Also participants will wash a live un-oiled domestic duck and an oiled feather utilizing the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) wildlife cleaning trailer.

No Charge, Sponsored by LOSCO, OSRADP, TGLO, and UNH

This no-cost workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to hear and discuss current oil spill related research initiatives. The presentations will involve scientists from around the Gulf of Mexico, and other regions, who are addressing key research questions to improve prevention, response, and cleanup. A tentative list of topics includes: Onsite Identification of Oil Contaminated Soils; Foam-Assisted Groundwater Remediation; Mapping Boat Launches & Marinas; Modeling of Sunken Oil Mass; Guidance for Dispersant Decision Making - Potential for Impacts on Aquatic Biota; Physical and Chemical Causes of Heavy Oil Submergence; Social Disruption from Oil Spills and Spill Response; Ecological Efficacy of Wetland Restoration Approaches in NW GOM; TABS Responder Buoy during Spill Events; Herders in Ice and Preliminary Information on Herders to Improve Dispersant Efficiency; Exxon Valdez Microcosm Study Persistence of Oil 20 Years Later; East Texas Remediation.

Registration Fee: $129

This course will provide an overview of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and how to apply its principles.

The purpose of HSEEP is to provide common exercise policy and program guidance that constitutes a national standard for exercises. It can be applied to government, non-government organizations and private industry.

Registration Fee: $100

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) is the process of assessing injury and determining the appropriate restoration option to compensate the public for losses if the NRD Trustees determine injury to public trust resources has occurred

This short course will focus on the basics of the NRDA process and will explore some of the laws and regulations that require it, the players around the table, and NRDA implementation.

This workshop will include discussion on scientific and economic assessment that is required to determine the extent of injury and scale of restoration. The importance of cooperative and collaborative assessments and how the process differs around the United States will be highlighted.

Shared concerns, roles and responsibilities and technical issues, in addition to avenues for improvement will be discussed.

No Charge, Sponsored by Applied Science Associates, Inc.

Overview:

During a spill event, information is key to making good decisions on how to respond. Field observations, trajectory predictions, and weather forecasts need to be put together to make a coherent picture of the situation. This course provides an overview of a variety of spill case histories with discussion of the science that governs how spills behave. Observations discussed include overflight maps, beach surveys and simple oceanographic sampling. Different types of trajectory modeling will be demonstrated, including working with multiple (stochastic) trajectory simulations. Students will learn the basics of how to put together a spill timeline from the past to the present and into the future using field information and predictions, and how to integrate results with GIS applications such as ArcView® and Google Earth.

No prior experience required, as this course contains both “rules of thumb” and sophisticated analysis techniques.

About the Instructors:

Dr. “CJ” Beegle-Krause, ASA Senior Scientist, and former lead trajectory forecaster for NOAA, will conduct the class. CJ has over 10 years of experience working on oil spill response and scientific support. She has been involved in over 200 spills and other incidents within the U.S. and internationally.

Dr. Deborah French McCay, ASA Director of Impact Assessment Services and Principal, specializes in quantitative assessments and modeling of aquatic ecosystems and populations, oil and chemical transport and fates, toxicity, exposure and the bioaccumulation of pollutants by biota, along with the effects of contamination. Deb is highly skilled using models for impact, risk, and natural resource damage assessments, as well as for studies of the biological systems. Dr. French McCay was principal investigator in the development of NRDA models established in the U.S. Federal regulations for simplified assessments under CERCLA and the Oil Pollution Act. She has also been principal investigator on many NRDA assessments and other projects for federal and state natural resource trustees.

Mr. Chris Galagan, ASA senior scientist, has been involved in oil spill response since 1992, and has used trajectory modeling software in over 20 countries, for exercises, contingency plans and spills events.

No Charge, Sponsored by Det Norske Veritas (USA) Inc.

This workshop will consist of a panel discussion regarding climate change risks and rewards facing the oil industry with subject matter experts with climate change, oil industry, class society, and legislative backgrounds. Upon completion of the workshop, attendees will be better informed about Climate Change initiatives and legislation and their potential affect on the oil and gas industry. More importantly you will better understand how to position your organization to take advantage of the business opportunities that will certainly arise from a carbon constrained economy.

Response to a Major Spill Incident on the Mississippi River in New Orleans

On July 23, 2008 the tank barge DM 932 was involved in a collision in the Mississippi River near New Orleans which resulted in catastrophic damage to the barge and the release of a significant amount of its cargo of #6 fuel oil. The ensuing response and cleanup lasted for approximately 3 months and involved at its peak over 2000 response personnel, and spanned 98 river miles and four Louisiana Parishes. This 3 hour session will include presentations and panel discussion by personnel from Federal and State response agencies, OSROs, and the RP's consultants that were involved in the response. Presentations and panel discussion will cover various aspects of the response and salvage, as well as lessons learned.

Topics to be covered will include the following:

<ul>

<li>General Overview of Incident</li>

<li>DM 932 Salvage Operations</li>

<li>Public Affairs and Liaison</li>

<li>ICS and Unified Command Effectiveness</li>

<li>River Closure, Vessel Cleaning, Impact on Port</li>

<li>Air Operations and Logistics</li>

<li>Wildlife Protection, Capture, and Rehabilitation</li>

<li>Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Endpoints, and Signoff</li>

<li>Environmental Unit Interaction</li>

<li>Cleanup Techniques</li>

<li>Worker Safety and River Safety Zone Management</li>

<li>Equipment Decontamination Operations</li>

<li>Organizational Transition from ICS to Project Management</li>

On January 14, 2008 Major Mike Edmonson was promoted to Superintendent of Louisiana State Police and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Public Safety after serving as the State Police's Training Command Inspector for the past year. His previous responsibilities included supervision of the State Police Training Academy and the Joint Emergency Services Training Center.

Colonel Edmonson started his career with the Louisiana State Police as a patrolman at Troop A in 1981. He has since served as the agency's public information spokesperson and Commander of the Public Affairs Unit. He served as the Director of Fleet Operations and Communications, the Deputy Regional Commander and Executive Officer for the Transportation and Environmental Safety Section of the State Police, Commander of the Capitol Detail and Physical Security, managing two DPS command sections that encompassed overall police duties for the Capitol Park and a 200-bed Department of Corrections inmate facility that provides a workforce to the department.

Colonel Edmonson served as the Commander of Technical Support Service, supervising the statewide criminal history repository, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, the Louisiana Law Enforcement Network, the Sex Offender Registry, the Concealed Handguns Unit and the Traffic Records Unit.

Colonel Edmonson, a native of Alexandria, LA, has more than 27 years of total experience in law enforcement; a bachelor's of criminal justice degree from LSU and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

This session will share examples of Best Practices in Hazardous Waste Management and discuss essential elements for a functional hazardous waste management program. Another will discuss Business Continuity Planning, a transition to Emergency Response Management and will provide a view on ownership, roles-responsibilities and integration strategy. A very critical element to any successful response is the functional relationships that should be developed prior to an actual emergency. Lastly, the Spill of National Significance classification process will be presented identifying potential transition points, scope, duration, and stressor considerations. All of these topics will be presented compelling contingency planners and response manager attendance.

This session will present the critical elements of an effective response that will meet the expectations of regulatory agencies, political entities, the local community, and the responsible party. Expectations of federal, state, and local agencies will be presented along with key features of response initiation, command post and field organization, management of public affairs, external liaison, wildlife and environmental issues, and volunteer utilization.

The gulf coast region is experiencing various human and environmental effects, such as land loss and development, which are contributing to an increased threat to infrastructure. This session will provide each Gulf State's perspective regarding what exactly is at risk and why, specific coastal issues that threaten existing infrastructure, and how coastal restoration programs and associated measures are addressing these threats to infrastructure.

After years of litigation, EPA issued a Vessel General Permit (VGP), effective on February 6, 2009. The VGP covers discharges incidental to normal vessel operations and applies when vessels operate within three miles of the U.S. coast. The VGP covers 26 discharge streams incidental to the normal operation of a commercial vessel and requires vessel owners/operators to implement “best management practices” (BMPs) to minimize these discharges, which include bilge and ballast water, deck runoff, oil-sea interfaces, and cooling water, among others. There are also multiple recordkeeping, reporting, and corrective actions requirements. Our panelists will provide an overview of the VGP, discuss the development of compliance plans, and flag various implementation and legal challenges.

Speakers for this session will offer a diverse set of insightful presentations into handling environmental planning and prevention projects in a mature and increasingly stringent regulatory environment. From combining proven methods of spill surveillance with improvements in dispersant planning in Mexico to pioneering efforts in managing a contentious federal environmental project with an interagency planning committee, this session will offer a wide-ranging discussion of measures taken and suggested actions for enhancing oil spill prevention and readiness in the Gulf of Mexico. The session is rounded out with discussions of environmental law enforcement issues in Louisiana and the maturation of the Coast Guard's Incident Management Division.

2008 & 2009 provided no shortage of case studies from which to glean lessons learned. Hurricanes Ike and Gustav were two of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the east Texas and south central Louisiana coastlines since Katrina and Rita. Ike's direct impact on Houston and Gustav's direct impact on Morgan City resulted in devastating damage to the ports as well as to offshore rigs and platforms. The Coast Guard played a significant role preparing for the hurricanes impact and dealing with the aftermath. The MMS had to once again evaluate the impacts of two major hurricanes to the offshore infrastructure. The esteemed panel of Coast Guard and MMS experts will provide a front row view of the issues encountered during these hurricanes including the impact to the offshore industry, ports, infrastructure and waterways, search and rescue, the response to the allision between the 900 foot tankship SKS Satilla and the submerged jackup ENSCO 74, and how they organized to effectively deal with the various missions.

This session will definitely “make your day”. Over the years there has been a coordinated effort to incorporate various tools and methods to aid in streamlining the NRDA process. The reality of the NRDA process is that there are obstacles that exist, but when balanced and efficient decision making can occur the benefits can be felt by the public, industry, and trustees. The intent of the session is to highlight recent NRDA case studies from the Gulf Coast states that have implemented a streamlining technique (the Good), revealed an important lesson learned (the Bad), or vacillated uncontrollably due to a particular unresolved issue (the Ugly). Following the presentations, there will be an opportunity to discuss ways in which all participating parties in NRDA cases can build on the “Good”, improve upon the “Bad”, and reduce the “Ugly”.

Coast Guard representatives, municipal firefighters, commercial responders, and vessel operators will discuss the implementation and impact of the new salvage and marine firefighting regulations. Among the topics will be: an overview and discussion of the regulations and published guidance by the Coast Guard; marine firefighting and the important role of municipal firefighters in the new response structure; coordination between salvors, firefighters and pollution contractors during a casualty; the impact of the requirement to establish a rescue towing fleet; and what similar regulations might be on the horizon for non-tank vessel operators. A case study highlighting the importance of coordination between responders during a vessel fire will also be presented. These combined sessions will be of great interest to all involved in commercial vessel operations on U.S waters, and to those who respond when a casualty occurs, including officers and members of municipal fire departments and industrial fire brigades. Please plan to attend both sessions to gain a full appreciation of these issues and their impact.

The 2005 and 2008 Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Seasons were some of the most intense in history, with many of the largest and most destructive storms on record. Issues related to onshore and offshore physical damage, the lingering effects of the resulting offshore subsurface debris and human related factors from these seasons have drastically changed the way the oil industry must look and prepare for hurricanes. This session will deal with these realities and offer both lessons learned and insights into how the industry can better prepare for the future.

This session will have five presentations covering the latest in research in clean-up strategies and technology. These topics include: Detection and Recovery of submerged oil, new skimmer test protocol per ASTM, new dispersion monitoring system via Turner Designs L-3 Sensor, innovations in mobile and PC technology for incident management, and new methods of mapping/ GIS within ICS Technology.

This session will definitely “make your day”. Over the years there has been a coordinated effort to incorporate various tools and methods to aid in streamlining the NRDA process. The reality of the NRDA process is that there are obstacles that exist, but when balanced and efficient decision making can occur the benefits can be felt by the public, industry, and trustees. The intent of the session is to highlight recent NRDA case studies from the Gulf Coast states that have implemented a streamlining technique (the Good), revealed an important lesson learned (the Bad), or vacillated uncontrollably due to a particular unresolved issue (the Ugly). Following the presentations, there will be an opportunity to discuss ways in which all participating parties in NRDA cases can build on the “Good”, improve upon the “Bad”, and reduce the “Ugly”.

Coast Guard representatives, municipal firefighters, commercial responders, and vessel operators will discuss the implementation and impact of the new salvage and marine firefighting regulations. Among the topics will be: an overview and discussion of the regulations and published guidance by the Coast Guard; marine firefighting and the important role of municipal firefighters in the new response structure; coordination between salvors, firefighters and pollution contractors during a casualty; the impact of the requirement to establish a rescue towing fleet; and what similar regulations might be on the horizon for non-tank vessel operators. A case study highlighting the importance of coordination between responders during a vessel fire will also be presented. These combined sessions will be of great interest to all involved in commercial vessel operations on U.S waters, and to those who respond when a casualty occurs, including officers and members of municipal fire departments and industrial fire brigades. Please plan to attend both sessions to gain a full appreciation of these issues and their impact.

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, MMS-Minerals Management Service, U.S. EPA and the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee.

Similar to the technological advancements contained in consumer products like the iPod and Smartphone, this session will touch on advanced sensor, monitoring, processing and spatial information management technologies. The presentations depict benefits in pre-identifying response resources, automating and managing contingency plans, using land based sensor technology in marine environments and advanced spatial monitoring methods of critical infrastructure in oil spill prevention and planning.

During this session, speakers will discuss various inland response case studies. By understanding the interaction between multiple inland state and local agencies, response organizations, and local communities, you are bound to come away from this session with invaluable information.

Oils spills are not unique to the Gulf of Mexico. Prevention, preparedness, resources and legislation vary in the international community, and these affect response techniques. These techniques can be relevant and may provide a fresh approach to techniques used by gulf responders. The International Response Perspective session provides just that: spill response priorities, challenges, organization and methodologies as practiced by international responders from various locations around the world.

Preparedness is the key when dealing with a pandemic outbreak such as H1N1 we experienced earlier this year. This session will discuss lessons learned from the H1N1 outbreak, business continuity, and preparedness for a future outbreak. Speakers include representatives from Marathon Oil Company, the Federal Government, and the Louisiana State Government.

This session provides a case study and leading subject experts regarding commercial diving, subsea equipment and survey equipment, and damaged platform well intervention and structural removal activities. Since 2004 when Hurricane IVAN damaged several oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, several hundred oil platforms and miles of pipeline have been damaged which has required oil companies to spend millions leasing floating work platforms, well intervention equipment, commercial diver and equipment, survey equipment and cutting tools. As a result of the demand and investment to complete this high risk work safely and efficiently, a new generation of subsea experience and skills have evolved that has not only benefited the offshore industry, but may also benefit the port communities by sharing the methodologies and emerging technologies presented in this session.

With the changing demands and potential sources of old, new, and alternative energy there will be challenges and potential risks. There are also hidden risks. This session will explore many of the challenges that planners and responders must face in the next decade and possibly decades to follow.