The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR) is pleased to announce the release of the 2022-2027 Oil Pollution Research and Technology Plan (OPRTP). The Oil Pollution Research and Technology Plan is updated every six years and provides a basis for coordinating oil pollution research in the United States.
The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR) is a 16-member Interagency Committee established by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to “…coordinate a comprehensive program of oil pollution research, technology development, and demonstration among the Federal agencies, in cooperation and coordination with industry, 4-year institutions of higher education and research institutions, State governments, and other nations, as appropriate, and shall foster cost-effective research mechanisms, including the joint funding of research.”
“This interagency product provides an updated assessment and analysis of agency roles and responsibilities and knowledge regarding oil pollution prevention, preparedness, response, and mitigation technologies,” said Scott Lundgren, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration. “We also worked with partners to prioritize research and development needs to improve the science that underpins our nation’s effort to safeguard our people, environment, and economy from such disasters.”
The plan also presents the interagency’ s overall research priorities and explains the process the Committee used to identify research gaps, noteworthy oil spill events, and the current state of oil pollution knowledge.
“The latest version of this important document describes 28 Standing Research Areas and 171 different Research and Development Priorities that the Committee recommends be addressed by industry, academia, government, and non-government organizations over the next six years,” said Eric Miller, Chief, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Oil Spill Preparedness Division.“It serves as an important reference and guidepost for informing research plans and budgets both domestically and internationally.”
Through an agreement with the NOAA, the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), and the U.S. Coast Guard, BSEE provided funding for the plan and worked closely with its Committee partners to review previous Research & Development needs to identify new priorities. This plan does not establish any regulatory requirement or interpretation, nor does it imply the need to establish a new regulatory requirement or modify any existing regulatory requirements.
“The research and development work carried out by the interagency members and informed by this plan, provides invaluable oil spill response, prevention, and mitigation tools and technologies that can be employed by responders to address oil spill incidents both domestically and internationally. This plan is key to the progression of the nation’s oil spill response capability,” said CDR Tracy Wirth, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy, Executive Director of ICCOPR.
In addition to preparing the coordinated Federal Oil Pollution Research and Technology Plan, the Committee promotes coordination with industry, academia, research institutions, state governments, and international partners through information sharing, collaborative planning, and joint funding of projects.
More information about ICCOPR can be found at: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/ICCOPR/
Read more at USCG
