Deepwater Horizon: Spill response under review for Florida

Offshore 

ST PETERSBURG, Florida -- Representatives from BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have been meeting to plan a multi-agency response, should the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon spread farther east. 

The agencies have reviewed the area contingency plan and ensured all partners have access to, and are familiar with the plan. Over the past few days, the Coast Guard and Florida DEP have spoken with trustees from various national and state wildlife refugee areas, and with county emergency management office on Florida’s west coast. 

Predictions issued yesterday by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), indicated no impact to the western coast, from Taylor County to Collier County, within the next 72 hours. 

The US Coast Guard at Sector Key West, Fla., and its port partners and other interested parties, have been preparing for possible marine pollution effects from the spill associated. 

Yesterday the Coast Guard hosted a joint meeting at Sector Key West with federal, state, and local partners to discuss potential impacts and response priorities should the spill affect the waters of the Florida Keys. 

Various other federal and state representatives also met to review ecologically sensitive areas in the Keys, prepare response strategies, and to share information and discuss pollution mitigation. 

“Although it is still too soon to predict if or how the Florida Keys may be impacted by the Deepwater Horizon spill, we are focused on preparing for whatever those impacts may be,” said Capt. Pat DeQuattro, sector commander at Coast Guard Sector Key West. 

05/05/2010