Coast Guard Tests Update Oil Spill Response Plan Off Keys
KEY WEST (CBSMiami/AP) – Nearly two years after Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard is testing out an updated response plan for any future spills which may occur off the Florida Keys.
Coast Guard officials said Thursday's exercise will test planned response for a fictitious drilling platform accident in the Florida Straits in which oil threatens to reach the Keys.
Coast Guard officials said federal, state and local authorities used lessons learned during the 2010 Gulf spill to update their response plans. The updates also address potential risks from exploratory drilling underway in Cuban waters and similar development planned in the Bahamas.
Wildlife agencies, law enforcement, researchers and fishermen's associations are joining the Coast Guard in the exercise.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
