Panel 1: Overview Of Lessons Learned From The Deepwater Horizon Incident
Frances Ulmer, Member, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Fran Ulmer is the Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. She recently retired as Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage. In June 2010 she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The commission was charged with investigating the causes of the explosion and oil spill and recommending changes to prevent future disasters from occurring. Prior to her appointment to the commission, Ms. Ulmer was a member of the Aspen Institute’s Commission on Arctic Climate Change and held Board positions with the Alaska Nature Conservancy, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Prior to being appointed Chancellor in 2007, Ms. Ulmer was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA. Ms. Ulmer served as an elected official for 18 years as the Mayor of Juneau, as a state representative and as Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. As Director of Policy Development for the State of Alaska, Ms. Ulmer managed multiple programs and served as the first Co-Chair of the Alaska Coastal Policy Council. At the national level, Ms. Ulmer served for more than 10 years on the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission; as a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s State and Local Advisory Committee; and on the Federal Elections Commission’s State Advisory Committee. She co-chaired the National Academies of Science’s Committee on State Voter Registration Databases. Ms. Ulmer earned a J.D. cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School and has been a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government.
RADM Carlton Moore, U.S.CGR (ret.), Vice-Chair/Deepwater Horizon Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) Team
Carlton retired from the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in 2002 at the rank of Rear Admiral. His service included duty in Port Security and Expeditionary Warfare specialties, which involved three overseas deployments, three Unit commands and two Group commands. During the recall to active duty in response to the events on September 11, 2001, he assumed the position of Deputy Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, one of two operational regional commands in the Coast Guard. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Coast Guard Distinguished Service, among others. In civilian employment, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed him as Administrator of the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response in 2003, where he administered various maritime programs at the state level, including Harbor Safety Committees in all California major ports, cooperative programs with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal counterparts, safety/compliance programs for the shipping industry, maritime towing companies and port authorities, and coordinated responses to oil spills or other hazardous materials on coastal and inland waters. He retired from this position in 2005. Following the allision with the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November of 2007, the Coast Guard brought him back in a civilian capacity to chair the Cosco Busan Incident Specific Preparedness Review, exploring all aspects of the response to the oil spill in San Francisco Bay. Carlton is also a member of the California State Bar.
Larry Hartig, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Mr. Hartig is an attorney with more than 20 years experience in environmental law, regulations, permits and land use issues. Prior to his appointment in 2007 as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, he was in private practice with the Anchorage law firm of Hartig Rhodes Hoge & Lekisch, PC. Joining the firm in 1983, Mr. Hartig worked primarily on environmental, natural resource and commercial matters. His practice included assisting clients in obtaining environmental and other permits for natural resource development projects, as well as projects involving environmental compliance and cleanup of contaminated properties. Clients included government, private developers, industry and Native Corporations, among others. He also worked as a landman in the Land/Legal Department of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company between 1972 and 1976. Mr. Hartig has a B.A. from the University of Utah and received his J.D. from Lewis and Clark College. He is a member of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council and serves on the board of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. He is Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Law section of the Alaska Bar Association, and a former member of the State Board of Forestry.
Moderator: Dale Jensen, Washington Department of Ecology
Dale Jensen was appointed as the Spills Program Manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology in August 2001. The Program is a statewide program responsible for activities that include spill prevention, preparedness, response and natural resource damage assessment. There are approximately 70 program employees and 30 after-hours responders located at four regional offices, two field offices and headquarters. Dale spent nine years as manager in the Department of Ecology’s Air Quality and Toxics Cleanup programs. Prior to Ecology, Dale spent three years implementing the Governor’s Efficiency Commission Study; many of the results from that study are still in place today. Prior to state service, Dale was a small business owner/operator in retail, agriculture, and environmental consulting. Dale has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Montana. Dale places importance on establishing and maintaining good stakeholder relationships, and a high priority on partnerships to protect the environment.
Panel 2: Recommendations From The Deepwater Horizon Ispr Report, Part 1
Larry Dietrick, Alaska DEC, ISPR Team Member
Larry Dietrick is the Director of the Division of Spill Prevention and Response for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The Division is responsible for coordinating and implementing oil and hazardous substance spill prevention, preparedness and response in Alaska. The Division has developed and pioneered many of the response tools that enable Alaska to have one of the most advanced oil spill safety nets in the nation. Mr. Dietrick has worked for the Department in numerous capacities related to oil spill planning, preparedness and response and served with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency prior to his work in Alaska. Mr. Dietrick has extensive experience in environmental programs and a strong foundation in the technical requirements, procedural aspects and the legal framework for oil spill response. He has a good working knowledge of oil and gas exploration in Alaska including the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, North Slope oil and gas development, and design and development of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System from 1978 – 1982 for a large diameter chilled gas pipeline from the North Slope to the Canadian border. He has also participated in development of the initial requirements for offshore oil and gas exploration in Alaska’s Arctic. Mr. Dietrick has a B. S. from the University of Toledo and has completed graduate course studies at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University and received a M. S. in Environmental Quality Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mr. Dietrick has represented the Division on numerous boards and organizations and more recently participated in the U.S. Coast Guard Incident Specific Preparedness Review for the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
John Tarpley, NOAA, ISPR Team Member
John Tarpley is the Chief of the Regional Operations Branch for NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division (a.k.a. Chief SSC) in Seattle, WA. He supervises NOAA’s nine Scientific Support Coordinators (SSC) and three assistants who are located with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Districts across the nation. He also manages the Response Operations program for the Division that provides scientific support to the USCG for oil and hazardous materials spills in the coastal zone. He serves as the Department of Commerce/NOAA representative on the National Response Team Preparedness Committee. During the Deepwater Horizon Incident, John coordinated NOAA’s initial response through their Emergency Response Division and continues to oversee all NOAA field assignments for the Area and Incident Commands. He also served as one of the initial Environmental Unit Leaders at Area Command and later as the Deputy SCAT Coordinator in Louisiana, and continues to oversee federal involvement in SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup Assessment). John has been with NOAA for five years. Prior to NOAA, he was an environmental specialist and supervisor with California’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response for 13 years. John has 18 years oil spill response, contingency planning, NRDA and habitat restoration experience. He has worked on a wide variety of notable spills such as the 1989 Exxon Valdez, 1996 Cape Mohican, 2002 Jacob Luckenbach, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, 2008 DM932 and currently the Deepwater Horizon – MC252. John has a Master’s degree in marine ecology and has performed research in the kelp forests and intertidal communities of California.
Jim Ayers, Conservation Community, ISPR Team Member
Jim Ayers is founder and President of Alaska Strategies, a conservation consulting firm providing advice to federal and state agencies, corporations and national conservation organizations. Among other clients, Ayers serves as a senior advisor to the Ocean Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trust, Coeur Mines Inc. and served as a member of the United States Coast Guard Preparedness Review Panel of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Jim served as Vice President of Oceana inc. from 2002 until this year where he managed all aspects of Oceana’s Arctic and Pacific programs. Prior to his work with Oceana, Jim served as Chief of Staff to Alaska Governor Tony Knowles. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, Ayers served as Executive Director for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council where he led the effort to develop and implement the comprehensive Exxon Valdez Restoration of the area impacted. Among a myriad of other experiences Jim has served on the United States negotiating team regarding Persistent Organic Pollutants in South Africa in 2000; was Deputy Commissioner of Alaska Fish and Wildlife; served on a negotiating team regarding U.S. /Canada salmon restoration; and served as Director of the Alaska Marine Highway. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Masters from the University of Oregon.
Moderator: Michael Zollitsch, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
A graduate of Sierra Nevada College, Mike has worked at Oregon DEQ for over 28 years. For the last 19 years he has worked on oil spill prevention, preparedness and emergency response issues. Prior to that assignment, he worked in DEQ’s Laboratory Division and on Environmental Cleanup Projects.
Panel 3: Recommendations from the Deepwater Horizon ISPR Report, Part 2
Barbara Parker, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, ISPR Team Member
Barbara Parker works for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. She is the director of the 32- member State HazMat Response Team (aka Division of Response Services). Her team receives approximately 2,500 oil spill calls and 300 hazmat spill calls annually. Last year Barbara was a member of the Deepwater Horizon Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) Team and spent from June 2010 to January 2011 on the project.
Greg Pollock, Texas General Land Office, ISPR Team Member
Since January of 1999, Greg has served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program at the Texas General Land Office, providing comprehensive management for a staff of 54 in five office locations along the Texas coast and in the Austin Headquarters. Before his appointment as Deputy Commissioner, Greg served as Associate Deputy for seven years. Prior to the creation of the program back in 1991, Greg was a policy analyst in the Research Division specializing in legislative and environmental issues. Greg received his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University and attended graduate school at Texas State University.
Brian House, Moran Environmental Recovery, LLC, ISPR Team Member
Brian House is past President and current Director of the Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), an industry trade group representing the interests of the spill response community since 1973. SCAA membership includes oil spill removal organizations (OSROs), manufacturers, and consultants working within the industry. As the SCAA President, he has been an active participant in the Partnership Action Team (PAT), which is comprised of representatives of SCAA, the Association of Petroleum Industry Cooperative Managers (APICOM) and the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Incident Management and Preparedness. Mr. House served as the SCAA/APICOM advisor and team member on the Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, chartered by Commandant Papp. Mr. House is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Moran Environmental Recovery, a nationally recognized environmental and industrial services organization, which holds a WCD Tier 3 OSRO classification. Mr. House holds a BS Degree from Bates College, has 27 years of experience in the management of oil spill response activities and has been an active participant in many major events during that period, including the Deepwater Horizon response.
Moderator: Graham Knox, British Columbia Ministry of Environment
Graham Knox is Manager of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment’s, Environmental Emergency Program and is responsible for the provincial planning and preparedness for hazardous material and oil spills affecting the province. Graham has been serving in this role since January 2006, prior to which he worked in the Ministry’s Contaminated Sites Program. Graham holds a Masters degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and serves on a variety of provincial emergency management committees and working groups, and has been actively involved in the Provincial Search and Rescue Program since 1994.
Panel 4: Implementing Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned & Recommendations
Robert Pond, Senior Technical Advisor to the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Incident Management and Preparedness
Robert Pond has 36 years’ experience in environmental response. He is currently Senior Technical Advisor for the Office of Incident Management and Preparedness at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, heads the U.S. Delegation to an International Maritime Organization Technical Working Group, and is the U.S. Coast Guard’s Lead Representative to an Arctic Council Working Group. Mr. Pond has 36 years professional experience in catastrophic incident prevention, preparedness and response. He is a nationally recognized and published leader in assessment of response capabilities, dispersant use (efficiency, effectiveness and environmental effects), response exercise standards and logistics, and personnel training and qualifications at the command and field levels. He is co-author of several influential National Policy Documents that have served to shape and define the nation’s preparedness to respond to domestic emergencies and disasters.
Chris Field, Program Manager, EPA Emergency Management Program, Region 10
Chris Field has worked in the Emergency Preparedness and Response business for 23 years. He started as a consultant to EPA’s Emergency Response Program in 1987. Then hired by EPA, he spent eight years as an EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinator in Region 10. In 1997 he was promoted to Regional Program Manager for EPA’s Emergency Management Program and has served in that role for the past 14 years. His collateral duties in that position include serving as the EPA Co-Chair to RRT-10 for 11 years and as the EPA Co-Chair to the Alaska Regional Response Team for the past year and half.
Christy Bohl, Oil Spill Program Administrator, BOEMRE Alaska Region
Christy Bohl is the Oil Spill Program Administrator for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) – Alaska Region and has been in that position for 13 years. Prior to joining BOEMRE she worked for the U.S. military for 15 years in Germany, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the U.S. managing environmental compliance, hazardous material and waste, and environmental restoration programs. She has a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wyoming and a M.S. in Environmental Management and Energy Resource Management and Policy from the University of Maryland University College.
Debbie Payton, Chief, Emergency Response Division, NOAA’s Office of Response & Restoration
Debbie Payton is the Chief of the Emergency Response Division of NOAA’s National Ocean Service’s Office of Response and Restoration. She coordinates a multi-disciplinary team of scientists who provide critical information to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator on fate, transport, effects and response considerations for oil or hazardous material incidents occurring in the marine environment. Ms. Payton has worked for NOAA for over 30 years, providing support to hundreds of oil and chemical spills during her career. Major spill responses include the IXTOC1 well blowout, Alvenus, Arco Anchorage, Presidente Rivera, World Prodigy, Exxon Valdez, T/V Westchester, the Persian Gulf oil spills associated with Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and, most recently, Deepwater Horizon. She has worked both within the U.S. and with other countries to develop oil and chemical spill contingency plans and modeling standards for trajectory analysis.
Bruce Johnson, Emergency Management, Shell Oil Company
Bruce graduated from Virginia Tech with a BSCE in 1975. From 1975 until 1992 Bruce worked in various engineering and operations positions within Shell Pipeline and Shell Products Distribution departments. In 1992 he transferred into Emergency Response within Shell’s Marine Department. Currently Bruce is a Regional Response Manager within Shell’s Emergency Management group. His duties include Incident Commander on Shell’s National Response Team; Alternate Qualified Individual for STASCO’s vessels in U.S. Waters; and designing, conducting and participating in local Tier I and large Tier III National Response Team oil spill drills. Bruce has also served on API Spills Task Force committees and on the Board of Directors of two oil spill cooperatives, MIRG and CCA.
Dale Jensen, Spills Program Manager, Washington Department of Ecology
Please see Mr. Jensen’s listing above.
Moderator: Scott Schaefer, California Department of Fish & Game
Captain Scott Schaefer is the acting Administrator of the California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). He was appointed as OSPR’s Deputy Administrator by Governor Gray Davis in 2000. In 2004, he was recalled to active duty and served as the U.S. Coast Guard Eleventh District’s acting Chief of the Marine Safety Division, Chief of the Incident Management Branch and Acting Chief of the Prevention Division. He returned as Deputy Administrator at OSPR in 2009. Captain Schaefer was recalled to active duty in May 2010 and served as the Deputy Incident Commander at ICP Mobile for the Deepwater Horizon response for 60 days. He led a response effort that included 26,000 personnel and 4,500 vessels, covering an area of responsibility including Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Captain Schaefer received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and his Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of California Berkeley.