Steve Lehmann, an OR&R Scientific Support Coordinator, gave the keynote address at the 25th annual No-Spills Conference in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on January 5, 2015.

The Northern Michigan Waterways Hazardous Material Spill Planning Committee (No-Spills) is a regional organization focused on prevention of hazardous material spills on the Great Lakes and its tributaries. No-Spills provides a platform for networking that encourages and facilitates interaction between agency and industry professionals, subject matter experts and other interested parties to foster communication and promote the study and analysis of issues associated with the prevention of mitigation of hazardous material spills.

Established in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1990, the No-Spills Conference has focused exclusively on oil and hazardous materials related issues in the Great Lakes and inland rivers. For the past 25 years the conference has brought together federal, state and foreign government agencies, industry partners, stakeholders and academics to present on and discuss the particular needs and sensitivities of emergencies in the largest drinking water reserve in the world, the Great Lakes.

This year, Mr. Lehmann discussed NOAA’s role in emergency science coordination and highlighted the efforts of several federal R&D committees to better the general response capabilities.

For further information, contact Steve.Lehmann@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.