The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) recently announced a visit by Interior Department officials.
According to a news release, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Mineral Management Laura Daniel-Davis and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Mineral Management Kathryn Kovacs visited the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility at Ohmsett Sept. 20. During their visit, they got to see the massive concrete test tank — a 667-foot long tank filled with 2.6 million gallons of saltwater.
"If an oil spill occurs, we need the ability to be nimble and innovative," Daniel-Davis said in the release. "The Biden-Harris administration is committed to using the best available science to help protect the coastal communities and habitats most impacted by spills, and Ohmsett is positioned to continue playing a leading role in that work."
In the tank, facility staff and engineers can simulate realistic spill conditions – they can introduce real oil and dispersants, generate waves of various heights and frequencies and drive a moveable bridge to monitor experiments and training activities. Government agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard, private industry and oil spill recovery organizations.
"Ohmsett is the nation’s premier research and training site for offshore oil spill response," BSEE Director Kevin Sligh Sr. said in the release. "The world’s offshore oil spill response community relies on Ohmsett for critical performance testing and training."
Ohmsett, the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, is located in New Jersey, according to the BSEE. It first opened in 1972, and was acquired by the Department of the Interior in 1990.
