The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE, USA) will receive USD4 million for infrastructure improvements as part of the USD162 million investment strategy announced by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to protect Atlantic Coast communities from powerful storms in the future.

The funds allocated to BSEE will provide for infrastructure resiliency improvements at the bureau's national oil spill response research and renewable energy test facility, Ohmsett, that is located at Naval Weapons Station Earl in Leonardo, N.J, USA. After Hurricane Sandy, BSEE quickly worked to complete a thorough damage assessment of the facility and complete necessary repairs in order to return Ohmsett to operational status. This project at Ohmsett will make improvements by providing additional protection against future storms and help to maintain the resiliency of the surrounding land. The Ohmsett facility includes the nation’s largest saltwater tank used for testing oil removal technologies, providing unique research and applied training capabilities.

BSEE Director Brian Salerno said that hurricane Sandy had a direct impact on Ohmsett, damaging the facility and delaying oil spill response research and testing. This additional funding will allow the organisation to complete further enhancements at Ohmsett, providing for storm resistant design improvements to protect both this facility and the surrounding lands while ensuring that there is minimal impact to the vital work that is accomplished each day at Ohmsett.

The funding will go towards mitigation measures to prevent or reduce wind and water impacts from future storms. The funding will cover improvements such as elevating electrical and other equipment above potential storm surge levels, installing shutters to prevent building and tank damage, and installing barriers to prevent debris impacts to facility piping and other exposed infrastructure subject to damage from a severe storm event.

(Spill-international, Edited by Topco)