Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation, and Enforcement Arctic Oil Spill Response Research and Development Program “Two Decades of Achievement”
ABSTRACT Oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation in the Arctic have increased dramatically in recent years. Oil spill response in cold environments must take into account the atmospheric, biological, oceanographic and physical features when developing appropriate plans and strategies. Factors such as extreme low temperatures, remoteness of the area, the presence of ice and seasonal darkness confront planners and first responders. From 1993 through 2009, the Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (formerly the Minerals Management Service) initiated and successfully conducted thirty-one projects directly related to improving the equipment, technologies and methodologies for the prompt identification and removal of oil in Arctic environments and to provide regulators with the scientific data necessary to support regulatory decisions pertaining to permitting and approving plans, safety and pollution inspections, enforcement actions, training requirements,...