For Immediate Release

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AUGUSTA, MAINE, July 15, 2023 ??Beginning on Monday, July 17, 2023, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Response Division will conduct training exercises in conjunction with other maritime oil spill response partners in Portland Harbor near the Sprague Energy Terminal. The purpose of the training is to ensure that the area's pre-planned response measures for a maritime oil spill are current and to guarantee that response personnel maintain the skills necessary to use mitigation measures.

Participants in the exercise include Maine DEP Response Division, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the United States Coast Guard, and response personnel from private industry.? Sprague Energy is supporting the exercise through utilization of their facilities.

The training is planned to be conducted from July 17-20 and will have department boats deployed using the Bug Light boat ramp to enter the bay and operating in the upper Fore River area surrounding the Sprague Energy Terminal on both the Portland and South Portland shores.? Maritime spill containment boom as well as the boats and crews to deploy and maintain it, will be visible in the Fore River / Casco Bay area from the Veteran?s Memorial, I-295 and Casco Bay bridges.? Approximately 12 personnel and 3 boats will deploy, test, and retrieve 4,000 feet of boom during this training.

This training is part of a series of maritime trainings that the Maine DEP conducts annually in select locations along the entirety of the state?s coastline. DEP Response personnel also continually prepare for mounting responses to HAZMAT and petroleum incidents on Maine?s rails, roadways, and industrial facilities state-wide.