DEP’s Emergency Response team was on scene shortly after the incident on Sunday, Jan. 22, and immediately begin coordinating with International Paper and other emergency responders. DEP has remained engaged and is currently a member of the Unified Command that was established Monday afternoon to ensure coordination and overall effective management of incident response and clean-up activities.
DEP’s role on the Unified Command team is to ensure that remediation and clean-up activities are conducted properly. DEP is providing technical assistance and guidance, reviewing and approving proposed action plans to ensure that these plans and clean-up operations comply with Florida’s environmental laws.
As Florida’s lead agency for environmental management, DEP is committed to protecting our air, water and land. DEP will remain engaged with response and recovery activities until we are satisfied that all appropriate actions have been completed to address the environmental impacts from this incident.
The Unified Command Team is composed of International Paper, Escambia County EMA/Public Safety, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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