Establishment of Dispersant Preauthorization Area in Alaska

On behalf of the Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announces establishment of a more inclusive, comprehensive, and conservative dispersant use policy that includes a preauthorization area and an enhanced protocol for use of chemical dispersant during responses to spills of crude oil in certain waters offshore of Alaska. Federal regulations covering certain vessel response plans require development of defined dispersant response capabilities when such vessels are operating in waters where dispersant use preauthorization agreements exist.