RPI provides rapid emergency response and on-scene support in the event of an oil or chemical spill. RPI has responded to incidents of national significance, well blowouts, vessel groundings, pipeline ruptures, train derailments, and other incidents, including environmental impacts associated with natural disasters such as hurricanes. With almost four decades of experience, we currently respond to over 50 emergency events per year. All RPI emergency response staff maintain active HAZWOPER, ICS, boating, and aviation safety training certifications, and are on-call 24 hours a day.

Our Services for Spill Planning and Response:

  • We provide on-scene scientific support in areas of oil fate and effects, environmental risk, shoreline assessment, cleanup measures and endpoints, and suitability of countermeasures, which combined are used to make the best response decisions
  • We identify resources at risk within the first hours of a spill notification, to support selection of protection priorities and response options
  • We develop and prepare information and tools that support spill preparedness and planning activities at the local, regional, and national levels advancing spill response operations and decisions

We have demonstrated experience in the following areas:

  • Inland and Marine Technical and Scientific Emergency Response
  • Submerged Oil Detection and Recovery
  • Data Management and Analysis
  • Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Surveys
  • Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) Mapping
  • Net Environmental Benefits Analysis of Response Technologies
  • Rapid Applied Research and Monitoring
  • Protection Strategies and Contingency Planning
  • Technical Spill Response Training and Preparedness

RPI has more than 30 years of experience in collaborative Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) supporting State and Federal government agencies around the world. We have worked on more than 30 cases to date. RPI has been involved in national and international projects to remediate and restore coastal habitats.

Our Services for Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration:

  • We provide scientific and data management support for exposure and injury qualification, restoration selection and scaling, and preparation of reports
  • We design and implement robust field study plans, from ephemeral data collection during the early phases of an event to injury quantification studies, to long-term monitoring of restoration sites
  • We perform comprehensive interdisciplinary analyses leading to the effective planning, management, design and implementation of restoration and remediation projects

We have demonstrated experience in the following areas:

  • Emergency Response for Preassessment Phase Data Collection
  • Field and Lab Studies for Injury Quantification
  • Science-Based Site Investigations
  • Ecosystem Services Loss
  • Case Management
  • Restoration Planning
  • Litigation Support
  • Expert Witness Testimony

Related Spill Planning and Response Projects:

  1. NOAA spill support
  2. Applied oil spill research and monitoring
  3. Oil spill training
  4. Tidal Inlet Protection Strategies (TIPS)
  5. Deepwater Horizon spill response
  6. Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE)
  7. ESI mapping
  8. Non-Floating Oil Containment and Recovery
  9. Garden Island Bay
  10. Gulf of Mexico All-Hazards Risk Assessment
  11. National Park Service Contingency Planning
  12. DTox

Related NRDA Projects:

  1. NRDA Support for NOAA
  2. Guidelines for Ephemeral Data Collection in the Arctic
  3. Software Tools for HEA Analysis
  4. Evaluation of Subsurface lingering oil from Exxon Valdez spill
  5. Extent of Subsurface Lingering Oil for the Exxon Valdez Spill
  6. Remediation KSA
  7. Chalk Point marsh study

 

Related Publications: Oil Spill Response Technologies

Michel, J., S.R. Fegley, J.A. Dahlin, and C. Wood. 2016. Oil spill response-related injuries on sand beaches: When shoreline treatment extends impacts beyond the oil. Marine Ecology Progress Series. http://www.int-res.com/articles/theme/AdvanceView/M11917_Michel_OIL.pdf

Bejarano, A.C. and J. Michel. 2016. Oil spills and their impacts on sand beaches: A literature review. Environmental Pollution 218:709-722. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305952551_Oil_spills_and_their_impacts_
on_sand_beach_invertebrate_communities_A_literature_review.

Nixon, Z., S.  Zengel, M. Baker, M. Steinhoff, G. Fricano, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2016. Shoreline oiling from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 107:170-178. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301542706_Shoreline_oiling_from_the_
Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill.

Zengel, S., C.L. Montague, S.C. Pennings, S.P. Powers, M. Steinhoff, G. Fricano, C. Schlemme, M. Zhang, J. Oehrig, Z. Nixon, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2016.  Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on salt marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata). Environmental Science & Technology 50:643-652. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b04371

Bejarano, A.C., J.K. Farr, P. Jenne, V. Chu, A. Hielscher. 2016. The chemical aquatic fate and effects database (CAFE), a tool that supports assessments of chemical spills in aquatic environments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 35 (6): 1576-1586. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/etc.3289/full

Michel, J. and M. Ploen. 2016. Options for Minimizing the Impacts of Inland Spill Response. API Technical Report 425. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC. http://www.oilspillprevention.org/oil-spill-research-and-development-cente

McClinton, T., G. Schweitzer, and J. Michel. 2016. Application of sonar for oil spill response: Acoustic detection, evaluation and monitoring of sunken oil spills. Sea Technology June:10-14.

Michel, J., M. Ploen, J. Elliott, and W. Key. 2016. Sunken Oil Detection and Recovery. API Technical Report 1154-1 and Operations Guide 1154-2. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC. http://www.oilspillprevention.org/oil-spill-research-and-development-cente

Michel, J., D. Esler, and Z. Nixon. 2016. Studies on Exxon Valdez Lingering Oil: Review and Update on Recent Findings. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, Anchorage, AK. 39 pp.

Michel, J., M. Ploen, J. Elliott, and W. Key. 2015. Sunken Oil Detection and Recovery, Technical Report and Operations Guide. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC.

Zengel, S., B.M. Bernik, N. Rutherford, Z. Nixon, and J. Michel. 2015. Heavily oiled salt marsh following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, ecological comparisons of shoreline cleanup treatments and recovery. PLoS ONE 10(7): e0132324. doi:10.1371. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132324

Michel, J. and N. Rutherford. 2014. Impacts, recovery rates, and treatment options for spilled oil in marshes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 82(1-2):19-25.

Tarpley, J., J. Michel, S. Zengel, N. Rutherford, C. Childs, and F. Csulak. 2014. Best practices for Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) from recent incidents. Proc. 2014 Intl. Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. pp. 1281-1297.

Whelan, A., G. Andrews, J. Clark, J. Michel, and B. Benggio. 2014. Developing cleanup endpoints for inland oil spills. Proc. 2014 Intl. Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. pp. 1267-1280.

Tarpley, J., J. Michel, S. Zengel, N. Rutherford, C. Childs, and F. Csulak. 2014. Best practices for Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) from recent incidents. Proc. 2014 Intl. Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. pp. 1281-1297.

Whelan, A., G. Andrews, J. Clark, J. Michel, and B. Benggio. 2014. Developing cleanup endpoints for inland oil spills. Proc. 2014 Intl. Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C. pp. 1267-1280.

Bejarano, A.C., V. Chu, J. Dahlin, J. Farr. 2014. DTox: A quantitative database of the toxicity of dispersants and chemically dispersed oil. Proceedings of the 2014 International Oil Spill Conference. Savannah, GA, USA. 1: 733-746. Available here.

Bejarano, A.C. 2014. DTox: a Worldwide Quantitative Database of the Toxicity of Dispersants and Chemically Dispersed Oil. A Final Report Submitted to The Coastal Response Research Center, NOAA/UNH Coastal Response Research Center, Grant Number: No. 13-034. 65 pp. Available from: https://crrc.unh.edu/sites/crrc.unh.edu/files/final_report_bejarano_022814.pdf

Santos, C.F., J. Michel, M. Neves, J. Janeiro, F. Andrade, and M. Orbach. 2013. Marine spatial planning and oil spill risk analysis: Finding common grounds. Marine Pollution Bulletin 74:73-81.

Michel, J., C. Boring, J. Tarpley, G. Shigenaka, and F. Csulak. 2011. SCAT: Improving the process, training, tools, data management, and products. Proc. 2011 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., 10 pp.

Santner, R., M. Cocklan-Vendl, B. Stong J. Michel, E.H. Owens, and E. Taylor. 2011. The Deepwater Horizon MC252-Macondo Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Program. Proc. 2011 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., 9 pp.

Michel, J. 2008. Spills of nonfloating oil: Evaluation of response technologies. Proc. 2008 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Merten, A.A., C. Henry, and J. Michel. 2008. Decision-making process to use in-situ burning to restore an oiled intermediate marsh following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Proc. 2008 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Michel, J. 2007. Workshop Summary: Submerged Oil – State of the Practice and Research Needs. Prepared for the Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. 29 pp + app.

Michel, J. 2006. Assessment and Recovery of Submerged Oil: Current State Analysis. Prepared for the U.S. Coast Guard R&D Center, Groton, CT. 34 pp.

Michel, J., D. Scholz, S.R. Warren Jr., and A.H Walker, 2005. A Decision-makers Guide to In-situ Burning. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., Publ. No. 4735, 40 pp.

D. Scholz, S.R. Warren Jr., A.H Walker, and J. Michel. 2004. Risk Communication for In-situ Burning: The Fate of Burned Oil. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., Publ. No. 4740, 60 pp.

Michel, J., Z. Nixon, and H. Hinkeldey, 2003. Use of in-situ burning as an oil spill response tool: Follow-up of four case studies. Proc. 2003 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute Publ. No. 14730 A. Available at: http://ioscproceedings.org/doi/pdf/10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-123?code=ampi-site

Henry, C., S. Thumm, J. Brolin, P. Cuty, and J. Michel. 2003. Application of in-situ burning during the Mosquito Bay oil spill: Observations and trade-off discussions. Proc. 2003 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute Publ. No. 14730 A.

Williams, G.W., R. Gondek, A.A. Allen, and J. Michel. 2003. Use of in-situ burning at a diesel spill in wetlands and salt flats, northern Utah, USA: Remediation operations and 1.5 years of post-burn monitoring. Proc. 2003 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute Publ. No. 14730 A.

Michel, J. and B. Benggio. 1999. Guidelines for Selecting Appropriate Cleanup Endpoints. in Proc. 1999 Intl. Oil Spill Conference, API Publ. No. 4686, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Related Publications: Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

Michel, J., S.R. Fegley, J.A. Dahlin, and C. Wood. 2016. Oil spill response-related injuries on sand beaches: When shoreline treatment extends impacts beyond the oil. Marine Ecology Progress Series. doi: 10.3354/meps11917. http://www.int-res.com/articles/theme/AdvanceView/M11917_Michel_OIL.pdf

Michel, J., D. Esler, and Z. Nixon. 2016. Studies on Exxon Valdez Lingering Oil: Review and Update on Recent Findings. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, Anchorage, AK. 39 pp. http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/Universal/Documents/Publications/04-05-16_March_2016_LO_Update.pdf

Zengel, S., J. Weaver, S.C. Pennings, B. Silliman, D.R. Deis, C.L. Montague, N. Rutherford, Z. Nixon, and A.R. Zimmerman. 2016. Five years of Deepwater Horizon oil spill effects on marsh periwinkles Littoraria irrorata. Marine Ecology Progress Series. doi: 10.3354/meps11827. http://www.int-res.com/articles/theme/AdvanceView/M11827_Zengel_OIL.pdf     

Bejarano, A.C. and J. Michel. 2016. Oil spill and their impacts on sand beaches: A literature review. Environmental Pollution 218:709-722. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749116306406

Nixon, Z., S.  Zengel, M. Baker, M. Steinhoff, G. Fricano, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2016. Shoreline oiling from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin 107:170-178. http://ac.els-cdn.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/S0025326X16302016/1-s2.0-S0025326X16302016-main.pdf?_tid=00f7c936-c393-11e6-8eb1-00000aab0f27&acdnat=1481894862_3be6706d8b8cc2cb6fa590162aed1476

Zengel, S., C.L. Montague, S.C. Pennings, S.P. Powers, M. Steinhoff, G. Fricano, C. Schlemme, M. Zhang, J. Oehrig, Z. Nixon, S. Rouhani, and J. Michel. 2016.  Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on salt marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata). Environmental Science & Technology 50:643-652. http://pubs.acs.org.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b04371

Nixon, Z. and J. Michel. 2015. Predictive modeling of subsurface shoreline oil encounter probability from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Environmental Science & Technology 49:4354-4361. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/es502579u

Bejarano, A.C., J. Michel and S.A. Allan. 2014.  Guidelines for Collecting High Priority Ephemeral Data for Oil Spills in the Arctic in Support of Natural Resource Damage Assessments. Office of Response and Restoration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 272 pp. Available from: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/NOAA-guidelines-ephemeral-data-collection_Arctic_December2014.pdf

Nixon, Z., J. Michel, M.O. Hayes, G.V. Irvine, and J. Short. 2013. Geomorphic factors related to the persistence of subsurface oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In: Kana, T., J. Michel, and G. Voulgaris (eds.), Proceedings, Symposium in Applied Coastal Geomorphology to Honor Miles O. Hayes, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 69:115-127.

Dunagan, H., J. Michel, and J. Burr. 2011. Assessment and restoration scaling of stream services impaired by the Obed River 2002 oil spill. Proc. 2011 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., 11 pp.

Michel, J., C. Boring, and C. Locke. 2008. Rapid assessment protocols for small vessel groundings. Proc. 2008 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Nixon, Z., J. Michel, J. Hoff, D. Forsell, S. Krest, K. Clark, T. Nicols, J. Dunn, and K. Kalasz. 2008. Estimating bird injury from the M/T Athos 1 incident. Proc. 2008 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Lord-Boring, C., I.J. Zelo, Z.J. Nixon. 2004. Abandoned vessels: impacts to coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves in the U.S. Caribbean and Pacific territories with implications for removal. Marine Technology Society Journal 38(3): 25-34.

Michel, J., H. Hinkeldey, N. Meade, and P. McGowan. 2003. Injury to birds and diamondback terrapins resulting from the Chalk Point oil spill, Maryland. Proc. 2003 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute Publ. No. 14730 A.

Michel, J. 2001. Mangrove habitat injury assessment and scaling protocols. Report to NOAA Damage Assessment Center, Silver Spring, MD. 27 pp + 41 pp. annotated bibliography.

Michel, J., S. Zengel, L. Cotsapas, J. Dahlin, and J. Hoff. 2001. Scaling of injury to reef flat habitats resulting from removal actions of grounded vessels in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Proc. 2001 International Oil Spill Conference, API Publ. American Petroleum Institute, Wash., D.C.

Huguenin, M.T., D.H. Haury, J.C. Weiss, D. Helton, C. Manen, E. Reinharz, and J. Michel. 1995, Injury Guidance Document for Natural Resources and Services under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Prepared for the Damage Assessment and Restoration Program, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD.

Reinharz, E. and J. Michel. 1994. Preassessment Phase Guidance Document. Prepared for the Office of General Counsel, Damage Assessment Regulations Team, NOAA, Wash., D.C., 74 pp. + appendices.

Michel, J. 1989. Natural resource damage assessment of the AMAZON VENTURE oil spill. in Proc. 1989 Oil Spill Conference, API Publ. No. 4479, American Petroleum Institute, Wash., D.C., pp. 303-306.