Back to top

28th Annual No-Spills Conference in Michigan

Jan. 12, 2018 — LT Michael E. Doig represented NOAA at the 28th Annual No-Spills Conference which was held January 3 - 5, at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan.

Logo for the conference - cartoon of a spill.
Conference logo. Image credit: No Spills

The conference was an opportunity for federal, state and local agencies, as well as industry partners to meet and discuss environmental and emergency response in the Great Lakes.


The theme for this year’s conference was Protecting the Great Lakes: Ownership, Resurgence and Renewal.


Steven R. Keck, Chief of Contingency Planning and Force Readiness, USCG, Sector Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan was the keynote speaker. He discussed growing up around Lake Michigan and the growing number of threats that face the Great Lakes. He put forth the idea of the OODA Loop, which was developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. OODA stands for: observe, orient, decide, and act. Mr. Keck urged the audience to use the OODA loop to address the environmental challenges in the Lakes, such as invasive species, pollution, and a growing population.  


Other notable presenters included Mike Popa from T&T Marine Salvage and Bill Hazel from Marine Pollution Control speaking about the M/V Calumet and M/V Roger Blough responses, Jeff Gray from NOAA speaking about the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary, and Matthew Goddard from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality speaking about Enbridge Line 5. There were numerous other talks from EPA, USCG, Sea Grant, and other industry and educational organizations. 


For a full list of speakers visit the No Spills website or contact Michael.E.Doig@noaa.gov.


Return to OR&R Weekly Report.

Last updated Tuesday, December 6, 2022 10:23am PST