New Effort to Collect & Review Oil Spill Solutions

The Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program workgroup, newly established by the National Incident Commander for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, announced a new effort to collect and review oil spill response solutions from scientists and vendors.

The Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center, in collaboration with interagency partners, issued a Broad Agency Announcement on www.FedBizOpps.gov, calling for the submission of white papers that cover: oil sensing improvements to response and detection; oil wellhead control and submerged oil response; traditional oil spill response technologies; alternative oil spill response technologies; and oil spill damage assessment and restoration.

The IATAP and the RDC will screen and triage submissions based on technical feasibility, efficacy and deployability.  This will be a federal process to ensure a fair, systematic, responsive and accountable review of alternative response technologies by interagency experts.

The IATAP and RDC initial screening will result in one of three determinations: the white paper has a potential for immediate benefit to the oil spill response effort; the white paper submission needs more detailed investigation or evaluation by the appropriate government agency; or the white paper submission does not support this incident.

The IATAP workgroup, established by Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander, includes the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture.

The Research and Development Center, located in New London, Conn., is part of the U.S. Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate’s Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Program.  The Acquisition Directorate has been supporting the response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill with an on-site subject matter expert who provides guidance on in-situ burns, dispersant and sorbent boom use.  The RDT&E Program’s Fire and Safety Test Detachment in Mobile, Ala., is coordinating local logistical support for volunteers in the Gulf Coast region.  The RDC also participates in the interagency Flow Rate Technical Group, helping provide the latest scientifically validated information about the amount of oil flowing from the Mississippi Canyon 252 well.

For more information about the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate visit http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg9/rdc/

For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com