U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Public Affairs

NEWS RELEASE

MMS is Sponsor and Key Participant in International Oil Spill Conference Vancouver, B.C., Canada, April 6 – 10, 2002

Eleven papers will be presented on the results of Minerals Management Service-funded research at the 2003 International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) in Vancouver, Canada, April 6-10.  The papers include information on aspects of oil spill response, mechanical recovery, in situ burning and chemical dispersants, behavior of oil at sea and modeling, and assessment of new technologies.

MMS is also chairing the 2003 IOSC Film Festival, featuring 24 films from eight countries on topics that include oil spill response activities and operations, training and education and effects of oil spills and new technology. MMS representatives will chair all sessions of the Film Festival which will be held in Room 9 of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibit Centre. Oscar-like statuettes for “Best Video Presentation” will be presented to the winners following the IOSC keynote speaker luncheon, Thurs., April 10.  The Honorable John Crosbie, Former Minister of Finance, Canada, will be the keynote speaker and will also present the video awards.

A summary of papers, projects and events to be showcased at the International Oil Spill Conference is listed below.

• Effects of In Situ Burning on Coastal Wetlands: Effects of Soil Temperatures and Regrowth of Marsh Plant Species, presented by Dr. Nelson Bryner, National Institute of Standards and Technology

• Testing Dispersant Effectiveness in Cold Water and Ice at the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility (Ohmsett), presented by Randy Belore and S.L. Ross of Environmental Research Ltd.

• Assessment of Dispersants for Cleaning Up Marine Oil Spills in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and California, presented by Ken Trudel of S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd.

• Software for Pipeline Oil Spill Volume Estimation, presented by Dr. Mark Reed of  SINTEF Applied Chemistry.

• Emulsion Formation Testing at the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility (Ohmsett), presented by Dr. Merv Fingas of Environment Canada.

• Oil in the Sea:  Implications of Changes in the Nature of Sources and Input Since 1985, presented by Dr. Dan Walker of the National Research Council.

• MORICE – New Technology for Effective Oil Recovery in Ice, presented by Joseph Mullin of MMS.

• Fire Resistant Boom Testing in Flames at the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility (Ohmsett), presented by Ian Buist of S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd.

• Integrated Spill Models for Impact Analysis, presented by James Bennett of the MMS.

• Decanting Tests at the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility (Ohmsett) with and Without Emulsion Breakers, presented by Ian Buist of S.L. Ross Environmental Research Ltd. 

• Oil Spill Risk Analysis for Assessing Environmental Impacts, presented by Dr. Zhen-Gang (Jeff) Ji of the Minerals Management Service.

• POSVEM and Pocket Guide – A computer model, the Pipeline Oil Spill Volume Estimation Model (POSVEM), is available to calculate any discharge from a pipeline spill. For a quick estimate of the worst case discharge from a pipeline spill, that can be made on site without the use of a computer, a Pocket Guide is also available. Both POSVEM and the Pocket Guide were developed by SINTEF Applied Chemistry with funding from MMS.

• In Situ Burn Research - The MMS has assembled a comprehensive compendium of scientific literature on the role of in situ burning as a response tool. This two-cd set was developed primarily to aid oil spill response professionals in the use of in situ burning as a response tool. The set provides a wealth of information in a convenient format that can be used in the planning, response or research environments. It contains more than 350 documents, more than 13,000 pages of information and more than an hour of video. The set was developed by the National Institute of Standards, Building and Fire Research Laboratory under contract to MMS.

• Visit the MMS and Ohmsett Exhibits – MMS and the National Oil Spill Response Test Facility (Ohmsett) will share exhibit space number 1513.  MMS and Ohmsett facility staff will be on-site at the exhibits and look forward to answering oil spill and related questions.

• MMS, Environment Canada and SAIC-Canada - For more than 10 years, MMS, Environment Canada and recently, SAIC-Canada, have participated in a joint project of investigating the performance of sorbent material for use in oil spill response. A list of the materials and test results are available in a searchable Internet database. A new, more user-friendly version of the Sorbent Database will be unveiled at the IOSC.

For more information on the International Oil Spill Conference, go to www.iosc.org.

MMS manages the nation's oil, natural gas and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf in federal offshore waters. MMS also collects, accounts for and disburses mineral revenues from federal and Indian leases. These revenues totaled more than $6 billion in 2002 and more than $127 billion since the agency was created in 1982.

-MMS-

MMS Internet website address: http://www.mms.gov