HOUGHTON, MI-- The U.S. Coast Guard is leading a large-scale spill response exercise at Michigan Tech this week.
Partner agencies and private entities will join to assess oil spill response readiness on Lake Superior. The test of the Area Contingency Plan will simulate two ships colliding in the vicinity of Isle Royale and spilling their cargoes.
Participants from the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards will establish a unified command with representatives from the state of Michigan, Houghton County, tribal leaders and private industry.
After the 1990 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the federal government charged the Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency to run exercises that simulate oil spill and hazardous material releases into the varying environments throughout the country.
