ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two members of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's Oil Spill Preparedness Division recently traveled to communities along the Arctic to verify and inspect oil spill response equipment staged to support ongoing oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea.
Along with several members of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the team traveled to Wainwright and Prudhoe Bay, to verify equipment preparedness and inspect required items in Shell’s approved Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Regional Exploration Program Oil Spill Response Plans.
The equipment is owned and/or operated by Alaska Clean Seas, and Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Arctic Response Services, two of Shell’s oil spill removal organizations listed in the company’s plans. The joint inspection team verified that the equipment was available and maintained as detailed in the plans, following inspections of specified equipment, maintenance records, and equipment operability.
The inspections are a continuation of BSEE’s commitment and comprehensive effort to ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore oil and gas development in the Arctic. As federal regulators, BSEE enforces operator compliance with regulations regarding oil spill response equipment preparedness and conducts inspections and exercises, to validate the tactics, logistics, resource availability, and personnel proficiency identified and relied upon in the approved oil spill response plan and permits.
