The CLEAN GULF Conference & Exhibition is the premier annual event for industry and government from North America and beyond to come together and discuss planning, preparedness and response issues for oil and hazardous materials spills. It brings together all parties responsible for prevention and response operations to hear best practices and build relationships vital to a successful response on land or water. A strong relationship between all parties is the foundation of a successful response, and CLEAN GULF has helped forge these relationships for the last 28 years.

This year, CLEAN GULF will take place October 28 to 31 in New Orleans with an expanded event schedule. Conference content starts on Monday, October 28, and runs through Thursday, October 31. The exhibit hall will be open all day Tuesday, October 29, and Wednesday, October 30.  Sprinkled throughout this year’s CLEAN GULF will be new events and activities and chances to celebrate Halloween.

The conference agenda is made up of 30+ sessions in eight conference tracks: Applied Response Techniques, Emerging Trends and Concerns, Evolving Response Technologies, Inland Preparedness and Response, Planning and Preparedness, Response Research and BSEE Compliance Activities, Response/Restoration and Training and Exercise Best Management Practices. In addition to the conference sessions, CLEAN GULF will host sponsored workshops, 150+ exhibitors in the exhibit hall, Keynote Address, State and Federal Updates, Mega session, two networking receptions, golf tournament and a Haunted Ghosts and Spirits Tour.

Show Program
The conference will kick-off on Monday, October 28, with training workshops and research sessions at 1 p.m. Current workshops include Homeland Security Challenges including Terror Threats and Oil Spill Response 201: The Role of Science and Technology in Support of the Realities of Spill Response. Research sessions include: Overall and Slick Thickness; Emulsions, Recovery and Sampling; and BSEE Compliance Activities. The day concludes with the Women in Emergency Management Happy Hour and an optional Haunted Ghosts and Spirits Tour in the French Quarter.

Tuesday, October 29, begins with the Keynote Address at 9 a.m., followed by the Mega Session: Land, Air and Sea – Not Your Grandfather’s Oil Spill. In the afternoon, conference sessions include: Exercise Evaluation – Maximizing Value; Real-Time Response – Using Technology to Enhance Readiness and Initial Response; Deepwater Horizon Restoration; Mexico Response Planning; Satellite Remote Sensing; Inland and Offshore Exercise Compliance Differences; Strengthening Inland Partnerships – A Unified Command Discussion; Scientific Support Within the Environmental Unit for ESF Hurricane Response; Risk-Based Management Practices Used in Response Planning; and Incident Prevention and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Oil Spill Response Modeling. The day concludes with the Voodoo on the Bayou Networking Reception.

On Wednesday, October 30, morning conference sessions include: The Human Element – Part Two; Exercise Designing for Success; In Situ Burn (ISB) Applications; Wildlife Oil Spill Response: Policies, Procedures, Observations and Potential Outcomes; Case Studies – Turning Lessons into Preparation; and State and Federal Updates. During lunch in the exhibit hall a meet-and-greet with state and federal agencies will take place. After lunch, sessions include: Environmental Data Management 2.0; Unified Command Development; Generating and Interpreting Toxicity Information for Decision Making; The Evolution of the Response Community and the Challenges of a Maturing Industry and Workforce; Community Outreach with Emergency Response Planning; Deepwater Ports – Current and Future Impacts; Training and Developing Key Incident Management Team (IMT) Members; Dispersants and Oil Spill Response – Overview of Recent Industry, OSRO and National Academies Efforts; Case Studies – Lessons-Learned; and Preparing Your Leadership Team to Manage Crisis. The day concludes with the Nightmare on Bourbon Street Reception.

CLEAN GULF concludes with half-day of conference sessions on Thursday, October 31. The final sessions include: OSRO’s – 30 Years of Change; Environmental Unit (EU) and Response Considerations; What You Need to Know About Spill Impact Mitigation Analysis (SIMA) and its Broad Range of Practical Applications in a Response; Port Valdez – The End of the Pipeline, The Beginning of Purpose-Built Response Planning and Preparedness; Salvage and Marine Firefighting: Regulatory Evolution and Case Studies; and Wildlife Response Preparation and Planning.

The Exhibition
The CLEAN GULF exhibit hall will feature top products and services for prevention, emergency response, cleanup, remediation, fire and salvage, aerial surveillance, disaster recovery and crisis management and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with all of the exhibitors to discuss their unique challenges.    

For more information, visit www.cleangulf.org.