Conference Schedule

Registration Fee: $299; Lunch included

This 8-hour course will focus on skills required for the Hazardous Materials Technician with a Marine Tank Specialty as defined in NFPA 472. Participants will learn how to analyze incidents involving marine tank vessels to determine the magnitude of the problem by determining the type and extent of damage to the tank vessel and its cargo systems, predict potential behavior of the vessel and its contents, and stabilize the incident. Participants will plan and conduct a response to an incident, determine response options that are appropriate, and safely conduct a simulated response.

Registration Fee: $299; Lunch included

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 including the science, effectiveness, limitations and future work.

Registration Fee: $149

During the DH response, in-situ burning was a widely use technology to reduce the amount of oil on the water and minimizes the adverse effect of the oil on the environment. This in-depth workshop will discuss lessons learned from large scale, multiple in-situ burning.

Registration Fee: $149

This morning in-depth workshop will focus specifically on the DH incident and the lessons learned from subsea source control initiatives.

Registration Fee: $149

This course is designed to aid aerial observers in preparing for an aerial survey, identifying and describing oil slicks, standardizing documentation procedures, and reporting such information in a clear and consistent format. Attendees should already have a basic understanding of oil fate and behavior and open-water response techniques, as these topics will serve as the foundation for developing sound aerial observation and spotting techniques. Discussions will include basic surveillance aircraft and tools (GPS, digital video/photography, clinometers, radios, computer tracking systems, etc.); however, an emphasis will be put on skills needed by an effective observer to see, interpret, and document the location and nature of floating oil. In addition, classroom discussions and case examples will be used to help develop the skills necessary to “spot” (i.e. guide, evaluate, and assist as necessary) with aerial and/or surface operations involving the booming, skimming, burning, or dispersing of oil at sea. The instructor will draw on 40 years of experience as an aerial observer who has worked on hundreds of oil spills worldwide under tropical, temperate, and arctic conditions.

Registration Fee: No Charge, Sponsored by Applied Science Associates, inc. & Environmental Research Consulting

Applied Science Associates, Inc. (ASA), assisted by Environmental Research Consulting (ERC), is pleased to present a workshop on oil spill risk assessment. A full assessment of oil spill risk considers 1) the likelihood of spills from various sources and causes, 2) the expected frequency distribution of spill sizes if a spill occurs, and 3) the potential consequences of the spilled oil to ecological and socioeconomic resources. The increasing availability of spill incident and environmental data, advancements in spill modeling capabilities, and modern high-speed computing tools allow sophisticated and reliable oil spill risk assessments to be efficiently performed that go well-beyond the traditional worst-case scenario analysis on a handful of hypothetical incidents. ASA and ERC have teamed on numerous oil spill risk studies, developing such quantitative approaches to address questions and issues arising during contingency planning, spill response, regulation development, and planning for natural resource damage assessment. Dr. Deborah French-McCay of ASA will provide an overview of the problem and approach; Dr. Dagmar Schmidt Etkin of ERC will describe techniques and data available to estimate likelihood of spills and expected frequency distribution of spill sizes, as well as modeling techniques to estimate response costs and socioeconomic impacts; and ASA will summarize modeling approaches and results for evaluations of spill consequences for applications ranging from cost-benefit analyses of spill prevention measures and prioritization of risks for policy development, to quantification of environmental salvage rewards. Finally, ASA will describe development of and demonstrate a new freely-available tool sponsored by Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) of UNH that provides guidance for oil spill response tradeoff decisions involving dispersant usage by estimating expected level of ecological impact of floating oil and water column contamination.

Registration Fee: $149

Wildlife response is a large component of the DH incident. This workshop will focus on issues related to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico including the effects of oil on wildlife, collection, triage, stabilization, cleaning and release, and working with volunteers.

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

The ability to identify, assess and manage risks is a required approach to safeguard and improve business performance, while safeguarding life, property and the environment. This workshop will present and discuss risk management topics relevant to the oil and gas industry, including Safety Cases, the Human Factor implication and elements of the Norwegian approach to Risk Based management.

Registration Fee: $149

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 workshop will focus on the basics of the NRDA process and explore some of the laws and regulations that require it, the player around the table, NRDA implementation, and lessons learned from the DH incident.

Registration Fee: $149

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.

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard, and Secretary Ken Salazar, U.S. Department of Interior, have been invited to address the response efforts of the devastating explosion of the Deepwater Horizon Drill Rig.

Thad Allen is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard. Allen is best known for his widely-praised performance directing the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006. Following his position as commandant, Allen continued to serve on active duty for 36 days in his role as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Allen officially retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on June 30, 2010, but continues to serve as a civilian as the National Incident Commander of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Ken Salazar was confirmed as the 50th secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on Jan. 20, 2009, in a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate. Prior to his confirmation, Salazar served as Colorado's 35th U.S. senator, winning election in November 2004 and serving on the Finance Committee, which oversees the nation's tax, trade, social-security, and health-care systems. He also served on the Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, Ethics, Veterans Affairs and Aging Committees.

Charged with protecting America’s natural and cultural resources, the Department of the Interior and its Bureaus have been working to support the Administration’s response efforts since the tragedy first occurred by:

• Helping oversee BP’s efforts to close the leaks and clean up the oil;
• Anticipating and preparing for the worst case scenario;
• Jointly spear-heading the investigation into the event itself with the U.S. Coast Guard.

At approximately 10 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, April 20, an explosion rocked Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in what has escalated into one of the nation's largest offshore drilling & oil spill response incidents. After the initial blowout occurred, the leaking wellhead continued to feed the fire onboard the semisub until the rig ultimately collapsed beneath the deep waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon, the USCG initially thought the well had been contained. However, it quickly became clear that the well was still flowing, with estimates of about 5,000 bopd rising from the broken riser & pipe, with estimates having later been increased to approximately 50,000 bopd.

Operating alongside the U.S. Coast Guard & the Minerals Management Service, BP launched a comprehensive, pre-approved oil spill response plan following the April 22 sinking of the Deepwater Horizon. The company has dedicated millions of dollars per day to construction vessels, oil spill booms, ROVs, personnel, and three deepwater drilling rigs working to stop the flow of oil from the Macondo well.

A collaborative investigation conducted by the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service to determine the cause of the incident is in progress, with multiple federal & state agency investigations also moving forward.

This incident provides a wide array of oil spill prevention & response techniques, processes and developments both in technology & services developed to counteract this Spill of National Significance (SONS). Our panel of the key participants & leading personnel from the operator, regulator & responder communities will give a fast-paced & information-packed review of what has been learned to date & what we expect to occur in the immediate future as a result of the DH Incident.

Topics Include:

• Deepwater Horizon: Offshore Spill Response Effectiveness/ Lessons Learned
• "Our generation's Exxon Valdez" How to plan for the future & can we have as large of a success?
• Deepwater Marine Fire Response
• Management of Claims
• Coordination of Assets
• ICS-Communication & Command
• Dealing with major media attention
• New technologies & how they were applied
• Dispersants-subsea & surface
• In-situ Burning
• Deepwater Boom & Skimmers
• Multi-jurisdictional issues
• Challenges in deepwater & coastal response

This panel involves those who were on the front lines for building and coordinating one of the largest temporary and volunteer corps involved in an oil spill response. The numbers of people involved and assets deployed were immense and the knowledge gained is invaluable for planning on future incidents. What were the lessons learned and how is the process evolving of the long duration of this clean up effort? How were the resources and logistics handled for the wide variety of tasks and operational centers that spanned the Gulf Coast region? What challenges were overcome with a response for both the deep water and coastal environments?

Topics Include:

• Cleanup / Wildlife/Bird Rescue Volunteers
• Community relations and “Hiring Local” issues
• Vessels of Opportunity-“The Mosquito Fleet”
• Managing logistics and training of a volunteer army
• Worker Safety and Occupational Health
• USCG
• OSHA

Casualties involving large offshore exploratory and production rigs in deepwater present considerable challenges to commercial responders and government agencies. There are not only the concerns of the rig itself, but drilling and production operations in deep water, may greatly impact the casualty response. Rig casualties, where blowouts are involved, are particularly demanding. This panel of experts from commercial salvage and marine firefighting response companies, the offshore drilling industry, and federal government will discuss the challenges and techniques of salvage and fire response on deepwater rigs.

Topics Include:

• Communications
• Deepwater challenges for marine fire fighting resources
• Assets and logistics required for deepwater firefighting and salvage

One of the positive side effects of a major spill is the tremendous breakthroughs in oil spill technology and the new methodologies that are developed to deal with the spill. Following the DH Incident several new breakthrough technologies were developed to mitigate, contain and clean-up from a major deepwater subsea spill source. This session gives the first details of what was learned from the massive response to the DH Incident and the progress made from these discoveries that can be applied for future plans and responses.

Topics Include:

• Reports from the Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program workgroup
• Updates from the US Coast Guard Research and Development Center
• Latest from the Gulf States R&D programs and Science outreach
• How were new technologies selected? A review of the process as new technologies were added to the response
• In-Situ Burning
• API + several federal agencies are re-writing the red book on in-situ burns
• Lessons learned from large scale, multiple in-situ burning
• Discussion of new strategies and lessons learned for deepwater skimming and dispersing (aerial, surface and subsea)

At cleanup sites of active facilities or abandoned hazardous waste sites, mercury presents significant environmental challenges due to it being difficult to treat and because if may exist in various forms. Some mercury contamination sites are also contaminated with oils, radioactive materials and organic compounds that present technical challenges when dealing with the mercury.

This Session provides insight on how different cleanup programs, at all levels of government, can work together to meet the goals of: ensuring the site is properly cleaned up, all the while ensuring that the response efforts and results are properly communicated to the public. EPA works in partnership with state, local and tribal governments, as well as responsible parties when conducting mercury cleanups.

When a spill of national significance such as the DH incident occurs the structure and communication of the ICS is put to the ultimate test. This panel discusses the DH incident and the resulting ICS and what worked, as well as what can be improved for the future in case of another major incident. With multiple state and federal jurisdictions, a myriad of agencies, operations and contractors, this panel promises to be an excellent training tool for how a real-world response develops and the challenges that command faces with so many variables.

Topics Include:

• ICS
• Area Command Panel- covers each incident command post- captain of port zones
• National Incident Command (1st time use in maritime)
• SONS - Area Command – Unified Command Structure
• USCG
• BP
• States: FL, AL, MS, LA, TX
• Area Command vs. Local Command
• Interaction with multiple political leaders within the ICS structure
• Dealing with municipalities operating outside of command structure
• Magnolia Springs, AL

Natural Resource Damage Assessment issues will be addressed by the federal and state natural resource trustee agencies with emphasis on updates, issues, and concerns based on the newest developments from the DH incident. With an unprecedented impact on a wide variety of offshore and coastal environments, as well as economic impacts to the human uses of these resources, this will be an information-packed panel of NRDA issues and updates on the best intelligence on protecting and restoring the affected resources. A question and answer session opened to all attendees will be a vital part of this informative exchange session.

Topics Include:

• NOAA
• DARRP-Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program Updates for GOM spill
• FAST Initiative- Field Assessment & Support Techniques
• Data collection and management
• TWG-Technical Working Groups Updates
• Results of Preliminary Assessments
• Subsea Plume- Algae Bloom- Redtide
• Effects of Dispersants at surface and subsea
• Effects of Burning
• Restoration-The Big Picture for the Gulf
• Wetlands/ marshes/ mudflats
• Beachers
• Corals
• Water Column

The DH incident offered a real-world test of tracking and monitoring a SONS spill that affected all 5 Gulf States. It also was the first US subsea blowout that brought forth new technologies for determining flow rates and tracking the path of the oil both subsea and on the surface. With a portion of the spill occurring during storm season additional techniques were developed to track the path of the spill and to forecast likely areas for response. This technology-packed panel reviews the techniques, tools and processes utilized from the well head to the coast for tracking and adjusting response on a major spill.

Topics Include:

• Using GIS, vessel tracking software, and remote sensing (satellite and aerial imaging).
• Mapping- GIS what worked and what needs to be adjusted for future major spills
• Discussion from the Flow Rate Group and what technologies were utilized throughout the spill to determine the flow from the well.
• 3D oil spill trajectories from a deepwater sub-sea well spill and the issues surrounding this (i.e. how to predict the path, how to predict the properties at surface or sub-surface and how to know what to respond to).
• Aerial Technologies and Coordination Plans utilized for spill tracking
• Planes
• Satellite
• Drones
• Blimps
• New Technology & Response Research

This session will discuss local issues associated with federal responses to hazmat and oil spills. Local Government Reimbursements (LGRs) for hazardous substance releases (HSRs), Pollution Removal Funding Authorizations (PRFAs) and claims for oil discharges will also be covered.

The LGR Program provides federal funds to local governments for costs related to temporary emergency response actions related to past or threatened HSRs. The PRFA is a funding mechanism used by Federal On-Scene Coordinators (FOSCa) to supply state and local governments with the necessary funding to complete oil spill cleanups.

Never before have all 5 Gulf of Mexico States been involved in a single SONS-Spill of National Significance and this year’s update is critical to understand the current and future regulatory environment, as well as to learn the research developments and advancements made during the past few months by these oil spill prevention and response authorities. Hear what you need to know to conduct business in the Gulf both today and in the immediate future directly from the federal and state regulators who are responsible for implementation and enforcement.

Session TBD

The knowledge gained during the response to the DH Incident is vast in many areas of spill protection and response, but probably the most valuable for the future was in the Tactical Operations of responding to a Spill of National Significance. These panels work through the immediate tools that can be utilized for updating spill response plans, asset location and all aspects of the tactical response to a major spill. This is the session where those who were on the front line review their experiences and give you the detailed knowledge and tools needed to perform TacOps in the future.

Topics Include:

• Offshore
• Skimming Assets
• Controlled burn
• Navy Supsow
• Nearshore
• Skimming
• USCG UOP
• SORO
• Vessels of Opportunity/ Mosquito fleet
• Shoreline
• SCAA Panel
• SCAT
• Industry-Wide Efforts Panel
• Firefighting
• Dispersant operations
• BP- WWC- Crisis Center
• NASA, US Navy
• Air Operations
• BP Air
• PHI
• Naval Blimps
• Logistics
• Drives the response panel
• BP
• USCG
• Vessel Decon- onshore/offshore
• Waste Removal

Following the DH incident the regulatory landscape is quickly evolving and this session is where you will hear experts from the leading Federal (USCG, BOEMRE, EPA, US Congress) and State (Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama) agencies discuss the latest in regulatory changes. This fast paced panel will review the impending changes, expectations for future regulatory changes and how they will affect the operator and response communities.

Topics Include:

• What will be the regulatory result of the DWH event?
• 30 days increases to 90 days on EIS
• Raising or eliminating of the oil spill liability cap
• Inspection and Safety for offshore rigs
• Permitting process for drilling operations
• Contingency & Response Plan revisions
• Positioning, Quantities and Logistics of Spill Response Assets

One of the most anticipated sessions for this year’s conference this panel will focus on the many challenges that developed in handling a SONS response from an asset perspective. Past laws such as OPA 90 affected the ability to relocate assets for the DH incident response, and the size and duration of the spill made allocation of resources a critical and sometimes key flashpoint between federal, state and local communities. Learn from those involved first-hand how they dealt with the developing situation to provide resources and what may change in the future.

Topics Include:

• International Capabilities and Laws for Assistance
• Relocation of response assets during a National Spill, and the potential exposure to the rest of the Nation as per OPA 90
• Boom
• Lack of types- good and bad
• Fire, Offshore, Coastal, Inland
• Problems: stripping assets from other states; requirements, etc.- USCG
• Dispersants
• Approval by EPA
• Delivery of mass quantities for both surface and subsea
• Viable Resource Tracking system
• Resources at risk priorities for boom, Hesco boxes – priorities listing
• Contractor Insurance Requirements- Could this delay response
• States and Municipalities placing orders for equipment

With so many types of shoreline affected by the recent gulf spill there are an incredible number of updates on how to both protect and respond to spills of national significance. This panel discusses the latest findings from the DH Incident response, as well as how to cope with a SONS spill affecting a large portion of coastline simultaneously.

Topics Include:

• Dispersed oil variables
• Shoreline clean up
• Multi-State Shoreline Protection Strategy
• RAT – SCAT – FRAT

Learn more about the latest developments involving the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s (CSB) efforts to increase safety awareness and to prevent future accidents. The CSB was established by Congress in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and has been operational since 1998. The CSB is an independent federal agency that investigates major chemical accidents at fixed facilities. Based on its accident investigation findings, the CSB makes recommendations to a wide array of groups, including regulatory agencies, standard-setting bodies, trade association and unions.

This session will also cover EPA’s Region 4 Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) cleanup efforts for the coal ash removal at the TVA Kingston site in Roane County, Tennessee.

The knowledge gained during the response to the DH Incident is vast in many areas of spill protection and response, but probably the most valuable for the future was in the Tactical Operations of responding to a Spill of National Significance. These panels work through the immediate tools that can be utilized for updating spill response plans, asset location and all aspects of the tactical response to a major spill. This is the session where those who were on the front line review their experiences and give you the detailed knowledge and tools needed to perform TacOps in the future.

Topics Include:

• Offshore
• Skimming Assets
• Controlled burn
• Navy Supsow
• Nearshore
• Skimming
• USCG UOP
• SORO
• Vessels of Opportunity/ Mosquito fleet
• Shoreline
• SCAA Panel
• SCAT
• Industry-Wide Efforts Panel
• Firefighting
• Dispersant operations
• BP- WWC- Crisis Center
• NASA, US Navy
• Air Operations
• BP Air
• PHI
• Naval Blimps
• Logistics
• Drives the response panel
• BP
• USCG
• Vessel Decon- onshore/offshore
• Waste Removal

The former MMS-Minerals Management Service has been divided into 3 new divisions focusing on their respective areas of the offshore lease, development and operations. How does the new agency function differently from the past? What can operators expect from the new federal regulatory structure of BOEMRE and how will the relationships and communication channels be modified for the future.

Topics Include:

• Shift reorganization
• What does this mean for offshore industry?
• What will be the new departments and functions of each?
• Granting Leases
• Deep Water
• Shallow Water
• Offshore regulation and safety
• Enforcement- What to Expect

The likelihood of considerable and widespread changes being implemented in contingency and response plans is nearly a certainty. This will include revisions and review of the current plans on file for vessels and facilities, as well as new additions as the regulatory picture comes into focus for operations in the oil & gas sector. This panel will review what steps will need to be taken to insure accuracy and compliance in your current plans, as well as forecast likely updates that will be needed in the immediate future.

Topics Include:

• Planning for OCS emergency response activities
• Reviewing plans for accuracy
• Insuring asset availability for SONS scenario
• Contingency planning in the new environment

The DH Incident response have seen a leap forward of the use of mass media tools, Web, Face Book, Twitter, it has been very impressive to see these new media efforts, and managing communications in this extremely fast paced media marketplace is challenging at best. Learn from the experts on this panel on how to effectively manage a large-scale media outreach and communication system for a SONS level incident.

Topics Include:

• Public Affairs – JIC – PIO
• Community Efforts Panel
• Local/ External Affairs/ Public Outreach
• Dealing with “experts” of questionable “real-world” spill prevention and response backgrounds that seem attracted to major media outlets
• Perception of an event fueled by an uninformed media created a firestorm of unfounded panic that possibly created even more economic damage than the actual incident- how to improve for the future?
• Communication issues, as always, continue to plague our efforts to acquire information and disseminate it, what is the best game plan?
• The public needs education in the false expectations of considering boom or other technologies to be a magic bullet
• Managing expectations with a large-scale and highly concerned public community

The EPA Emergency response and removal national Data Acquisition and Technical Assistance (DATA) team has developed a Data Management Plan (DMP) which formulates a data acquisition and the management process. The objectives of the DMP are to:

• Provide a scalable template of proven but generic guidance that will be used to manage specific data streams;
• Allow for addition of site specific requirements that will serve as metadata and documentation for how data was managed, including tools that were used and reporting functions that were developed; and
• Allow for the integration of other plans as activities become more complex.

An overview of these guides and plans will be reviewed. The guidance behind the development of a DMP will be discussed.