Co-Chairs: Ronnie Crossland, EPA Region 6 Michael Sams, USCG 8th District
Alternate Co-Chairs: Monica Smith, EPA Region 6 Captain Bryan Dailey, USCG 8th District
Coordinators: Steve Mason, EPA Region 6 Todd Peterson, USCG 8th District
For information on the next upcoming RRT meeting, click here
Region 6 RRT Priorities for FY2015 -- 01/28/2015
Current Information:
NRT Statement on Use of Dispersants
"After EPA review, products may be listed on the NCP Subpart J Product Schedule in accordance with 40 CFR 300.900 et seq. The
listing of a product on the Product Schedule does NOT mean that EPA approves, recommends, licenses, certifies, or authorizes the use of that product on an oil discharge.
Additionally, the listing
of a product on the Product Schedule does not mandate the use of that product
by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC), state, industry, or any oil spill
removal organization. Only a FOSC may authorize the use of a product that has
been listed on the Product Schedule. RRTs and Area Committees may predetermine
the suitability of using a product at a particular location, provided that
product is listed on the Product Schedule.
In some cases, these "preauthorization zones" have been established for designated areas. The FOSC may authorize the use of
products not already pre-authorized for use in a pre-authorization zone, or may
authorize the use of products outside of a pre-authorization zone, under the
process established by 40 CFR 300.910.
In determining the proper response, the FOSC must consider a number of
factors unique to each oil discharge when determining which- if any- products
should be authorized for use to address the discharge. No single product has been scientifically
proven to work more effectively than other products in all potential discharge
response situations."
National Response Team Atypical Dispersant Operations
The National Response
Team (NRT) developed the Environmental
Monitoring for Atypical Dispersant Operations: Including Guidance for Subsea Application
and Prolonged Surface Application (approved May 30, 2013) to assist
On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) and RRTs in making incident-specific decisions
regarding atypical dispersant use, including expedited decision making.
The Environmental Monitoring for Atypical Dispersant Operations is a
living document envisioned to continue addressing monitoring challenges as they
become necessary; and, as resources allow, other atypical dispersant
applications. In its current version, this document contains the
following:
- Subsea Application Guidance – generally applies to the subsurface ocean environment, focusing particularly on operations in waters below 300 meters and below the average pycnocline.
- Prolonged
Surface Application Guidance – supplements and complements the existing
protocols as outlined in the SMART monitoring program where the duration of the
application of dispersants on discharged oil extends beyond 96 hours from the
time of the first application.