全球智库信息集成服务系统

• The GL NCOE can be the key facilitator of translating cutting edge scientific and technological advances from those who are conducting the research to the operators.
• The GL NCOE can serve as a repository of knowledge and a coordinator of research across organizations to close gaps and advance the scientific and engineering agenda related to the concerns unique to freshwater oil-spill response.
• There are more than 75 partners with which the GL NCOE would need to coordinate to conduct key activities.
• Drawing from the expertise of partners by having representatives of those organizations join the GL NCOE could provide necessary expertise and promote partnership building.
• The GL NCOE can cover all or most areas of expertise and necessary skills with a minimum staffing footprint of one experienced Coast Guard officer and two or three civilians.
• Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, meets the infrastructure criteria specified by Congress and is home to three institutions of higher learning with adequate research facilities. Other locations could meet the legislative criteria, depending on the importance placed on research-institution characteristics.

The Great Lakes — Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior — form the largest body of surface fresh water on the planet. The Great Lakes basin is home to more than 30 million people in the United States, and the lakes provide drinking water to 40 million people in the United States and Canada and are vital to the economies of both countries.

Oil spills threaten the water quality and ecosystems of the Great Lakes. Vessels, pipelines, rail, and on- and nearshore facilities cause most of the spills in the region. Although most spills on the lakes are less than 10 gallons, most technologies that exist to mitigate damage from oil spills were developed for saltwater environments; less progress has been made on improving methods of containment and removal in freshwater and ice conditions, which differ in density, water-circulation patterns, and ecosystems from those found in salt water.

In 2018, Congress passed a bill that directed the U.S. Coast Guard to establish the Great Lakes National Center of Expertise for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (GL NCOE). In February 2020, the Coast Guard asked the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) to develop an analytical approach to and make recommendations for the near- and long-term trajectories of the GL NCOE, as well as its staffing needs, potential partnerships, and location. The authors of this report conducted research and analyses to assist the Coast Guard in beginning and continuing the crucial work of this new center.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Goals, Activities, and Key Partnerships of the GL NCOE

• Chapter Three

  Identifying Key Personnel for the GL NCOE

• Chapter Four

  Choosing a Location for the GL NCOE

• Chapter Five

  Opportunities and Challenges

• Appendix A

  Key Partnerships

• Appendix B

  Interview Protocol for Logic-Model Development Discussions

• Appendix C

  Virtual Site Visits with Academic Institutions

• Appendix D

  Additional Information on Candidate Locations