Oil Dispersants - Science & the Congress Project!

The American Chemical Society Science & the Congress Project,

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers,

and

honorary host

The Senate Science and Technology Caucus

cordially invite you to a luncheon briefing:

CHEMISTRY IN THE CLEAN-UP:

OIL DISPERSANTS

Thursday, July 29, 2010, Noon -1:30 p.m. Room 202/203 Capitol Visitors Center, Senate Side

As part of the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak, chemical dispersants are being utilized on the ocean surface and, for the first time, underwater. Dispersants work like dishwashing detergent — they break up oil into droplets, enabling it to mix more easily with the surrounding water. This presents a trade-off: Mitigating damage to the shoreline and surface means exposing the seafloor and water column to additional oil. This briefing brings together experts on the effects of dispersants to discuss how they work, the ongoing efforts in the Gulf, the toxicological and ecological trade-offs of their use, and the future of dispersant technologies.

Opening Remarks

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Moderator

Deborah Grubbe, Chair, Institute for Sustainability and President, Operations and Safety Solutions, LLC

Panelists

Kenneth Lee, Executive Director, Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Albert Venosa, Director, Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Robert Diaz, Professor, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary

Nancy Kinner, Co-Director, Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire

Please RSVP to http://tinyurl.com/Oil-Dispersants