General State Land Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Activities

Welcome to DNR's Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Activities website. The Statewide Abatement of Impaired Land section (SAIL) prevents, prepares for, and responds to spills of oil and other hazardous substances on the land and water DMLW manages throughout Alaska, in collaboration with other state, federal, and local agencies. This involves significant coordination with other government agencies, non-government organizations, and private entities doing business within the state.

SAIL regularly works with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Prevention Preparedness and Response Program, and the DNR's Office of Project Management and Permitting to review and provide input on Oil Discharge and Contingency Plans, and to ensure that SAIL and other DMLW staff are trained and ready to respond to releases as needed.

SAIL staff may support response efforts by conducting desktop research, answering questions, and when appropriate, issuing land use permits to conduct response activities that exceed DNR's generally allowed uses during a spill (DMLW's Water Resources Section issues authorizations for water use).

SAIL supports other DMLW sections and the State Pipeline Coordinator's Section with spill-related functions. When large spills requiring an Incident Command (IC) occur, SAIL staff participate in the IC and are typically assigned to the Environment Unit. SAIL may participate in shoreline impact assessments, and closeout inspections at the end of a spill's emergency response phase.

SAIL works across division and department lines to help ensure consistent application of best management practices and reporting requirements. SAIL seeks to protect the State's land and waters through prevention, mitigation, preparation, and response, all aimed at limiting the state's long-term pollution liability and providing a predictable business model within which industry and others can work productively and safely.