Completed Projects

EPPR’s completed projects are summarized below; links to documents are provided as appropriate:

Current projects and activities are described elsewhere on the site.

Arctic Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique (SCAT) Manual

Region: Circumpolar Arctic
Project Period: 2000 / 2004
Funding: Canada and US

Brief: SCAT surveys - now an integral component of oil spill response - are used to provide a spatial or geographic picture of the regional and local oil conditions, i.e., an understanding of the nature and extent of shoreline oiling that is critical to the development of an effective response. The information is provided in a format that can be interpreted easily, and applied by planners and decision-makers. The Arctic SCAT Manual: A Field Guide to the Documentation of Oiled Shorelines in Arctic Environments presents a standardized approach to collecting and documenting real-time data on oil and shoreline conditions. The manual is consistent with earlier SCAT manuals; however, it has been technically expanded to address: unique arctic shoreline types; the character of various forms of snow and shore-zone ice in arctic or other old-climate regions during winter months; and the behaviour of oil and the activities of SCAT teams in these environments. In addition, a First Responders Guide is included for use by local inhabitants during the initial phase of an assessment. The manual is printed on waterproof paper and is illustrated with colour photo job aids. It is intended that the Arctic SCAT Manual will form the basis for the preparation and delivery of training courses in northern communities on its use. It is anticipated that the manual will be translated into Russian.

Copies are available for $25.00 CAD (includes GST and world-wide shipping) from either:

Environment Canada, Prairie and Northern Region
Environmental Protection Branch, Northern Division
Suite 301, 5204 50th Avenue, Yellowknife, NT, Canada X1A 1E2
Tel: +1-867-669-4725 Fax: +1-867-873-8581

or

Environment Canada, Envi ronmental Technology Centre
Emergencies Science and Technology Division, Western Office
Suite 200, 4999 - 98th Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6B 2X3
Tel: +1-780-951-8855 Fax: +1-780-495-2615

Full Citation: Owens, Edward H., and Gary A. Sergy (2004). The Arctic SCAT Manual: A Field Guide to the Documentation of Oiled Shorelines in Arctic Environments. Environment Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 172 pages.

The SCAT Manual completes much of the work identified within the oil and gas field in the original EPPR Environmental Risk Assessment (1998). The manual is the latest in a series of products: the Analysis of the Adequacy and Effectiveness of Existing Arrangements and Agreements (2000); the Field Guide for Oil Spill Response in Arctic Waters (1998); the Circumpolar Map of Resources at Risk from Oil Spills in the Arctic (2002); and the emergency chapter of two PAME guidelines (Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines [1997, updated in 2002] and the Guidelines for the Transfer of Refined Oil and Oil Products in Arctic Waters [2004]).

 

Guidelines for the Transfer of Refined Oil and Oil Products in Arctic Waters (PAME) (2004)

EPPR participated in the development of these guidelines, which was led by the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group. Written for vessels that may be supplying Arctic communities, industries, and other vessels working in the Arctic, their aim is to prevent cargo/fuel oil spillage and resulting environmental damage during transfer between any two vessels or between a vessel and shore facility. The Guidelines identify general principles, and address pre-transfer and transfer operations, contingency planning, and post-transfer actions. Appendices include recommended spill response equipment, an oil transfer check list, and a bibliography. The Guidelines have been translated into Russian. To view or download the complete Guidelines, please refer to the PAME working group webpage: http://www.pame.is.

Dmitrovgrad Tabletop Exercise

Project Period: 2003
Funding: US and Russian Federation

Local Counterparts: The Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBRAE) was the lead Russian organization responsible for planning, conducting, and controlling the exercise. Russian participants also included the State Scientific Center Institute of Nuclear Reactors (NIIAR), and the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom). International participants included: the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Arctic Council’s Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response working group.

Brief: As described in the NIIAR exercise report [11 mb PDF], on December 9-10, 2003, a radiological accident exercise was conducted at NIIAR research reactor in Dmitrovgrad, Russia. The technical scenario simulated a radiological release. More than 200 players participated. Players activated emergency operations centers and tested procedures with local, federal and international authorities, including the IAEA. Responders also surveyed for contamination, created deposition maps based on scenario information, and took action based on the simulated data.
 

Circumpolar Map of Resources at Risk from Oil Spills in the Arctic

Project Period: Completed 2002
Lead Country: Norway

Brief: The Circumpolar Map of Resources at Risk from Oil Spills in the Arctic synthesizes existing information on sources of spills and internationally important biological resources that could be at risk in the event of an oil spill. The series of maps provides a tool for considering special precautions when oil operations are being planned close to sensitive areas - such as those containing high priority species that may be experiencing population threats in one form or another. The maps also identify resources at risk that have special implications for the peoples of the Arctic. The maps serve as a first-order overview of risks posed by potential oil spills for governments, international organizations and the general public.

Bilibino Tabletop Exercise

Project Period: 2002
Funding: US and Russian Federation

Local Counterparts: The Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBRAE) was the lead Russian organization responsible for planning, conducting, and controlling the exercise. Russian participants also included the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, Rosenergoatom, Minatom, the Ministry of Emergency Prevention and Response (EMERCOM), Roshydromet, and Gosatomnadzor. International participants included: the Arctic Council’s Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response working group, the International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S. Agencies, State of Alaska, and University of Alaska.

Brief: As described in the Bilibino exercise report [13 mb PDF], on August 21, 2002, a radiological accident exercise was conducted at Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant in Chukotka, Russia. The emergency scenario considered a worst-case accident at one of the plant’s four 12-megawatt, light-water-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors that have operated for more than 20 years. Specifically, the following was successfully demonstrated during the exercise:

  • plant emergency response
  • protective action decision making
  • emergency notification procedures
  • interagency and intergovernmental communications
  • plume modeling
  • radiation monitoring capabilities.

Chapter 7 (Emergencies) – Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines (PAME)<

Project Period: Completed June 1997, update completed 2002

The current Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines (October 2002) were completed by the Arctic Council’s Protection of the Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group, but represent the combined efforts of the PAME, EPPR, AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program) and CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) working groups. The update of the 1997 Guidelines was assisted by the involvement and comments received from representatives of Arctic, regional and other governments, non-governmental organizations, industry, indigenous people, and the scientific community to provide agreed guidelines for offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic. Chapter 7 - ‘Emergencies’ - deals with both prevention and response. To view or download the complete Guidelines, please refer to the PAME working group webpage: http://www.pame.is.

Analysis of the Adequacy and Effectiveness of Existing Arrangements and Agreements

Project Period: Completed August 2000
Lead Country: Canada

Brief: The purpose of the Analysis was to identify any gaps in the existing notifications and communications networks within and among the eight Arctic countries. A self-assessment of national systems was conducted which identified no gaps.

Field Guide for Oil Spill Response in Arctic Waters

Project Period: Completed September 1998
Lead Country: Canada

Brief: The Field Guide provides circumpolar countries with oil spill response guidance specific to the unique climatic and physiographic features of the Arctic environment. The Field Guide focuses on practical oil spill response strategies and tools for application to open water, ice and snow conditions in remote areas during cold weather. Information is provided relevant to marine offshore and coastal environments, and to large rivers and lakes where oil is transported, and where spills pose a threat to the environment and public health. The Guide can be used by technical managers, decision-makers, local community first responders and the general public. The Field Guide is available in English and Russian; portions of the Guide have been translated into French, Inuktitut, Finnish and Swedish.

Environmental Risk Analysis of Arctic Activities

Project Period: Completed September 1998

Lead Country: United States

Brief: As part of the Environmental Risk Analysis of Arctic Activities, each country conducted a self-assessment of national Arctic activities having the potential for transboundary impacts on the environment and human safety, including a qualitative ranging of risk. In addition, each country evaluated the effectiveness of national, bilateral and multilateral instruments and agreements to prevent, prepare for and respond to each.

Review of Shipping Activities in the Arctic (1997)

The Review of Shipping Activities in the Arctic was prepared for EPPR by the Ministry of Russian Federation of Civil Defense on Extreme Situations and Liquidation of Environmental Calamities (EMERCOM). This report was constructed to develop a strategy for safe transport of oil along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the rivers of Russia. A link to the report summary and Table of Contents, and an excerpt from the report "Current Russian preparedness and response to Combating Oil Spills (COS) in the Arctic Region” are provided here. Although the volume on the NSR has decreased, volume on the river routes which supply petroleum and petroleum products inland is increasing. Tankers plying the NSR are ice reinforced and equipped with double hulls or bottoms. The shallow draft vessels used in river transport are, however, of an old design and age and for the main part do not have a double bottom. These present a high level of risk since the rivers are characterized by shoals and ice. Marine drilling activity in the Barents and Kara Seas are potential risk factors. Urgent needs are modernization of the river transport fleet and at-sea clean up equipment, especially with the added complication of sea and river ice. For the latter, research and development is required by all Arctic nations.