Cleveland, OH -The U.S. Coast Guard, Ohio EPA , City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Hannah Marine Corp. will participate during the "Northeast Ohio Area Preparedness for Response Exercise Program 2006" on June 6.

This full-scale exercise will simulate the release of oil from a barge in downtown Cleveland on the Cuyahoga River.  Exercise participants will activate response plans, personnel, and equipment in addition to establishing a command post in the Holiday Inn Select City-Centre, Cleveland OH.  The simulated spill's location provides an ideal opportunity for federal, state, and local agencies as well as industry to build stronger partnerships concerning oil spill response within the region.

"This exercise is an important opportunity for us to work in a unified response effort to protect the public, environment and economic resources in the event of a major oil spill," said LCDR Joe Gleason, Commanding Officer, USCG Marine Safety Unit Cleveland. 

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 mandates the development of response plans for individual tank vessels and certain facilities for responding to a worst case discharge.  This exercise is designed to establish common goals and improvements to the preparedness, prevention and response efforts of the government and petroleum industry.

Response equipment will be deployed in the Cuyahoga River in addition to the multi-agency command post activity. Any media interest in covering the exercise are asked to call the external affairs office at (216) 902-6020.