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(Continued from page 112) community. According to Cdr. Russell, more than 200 lobsterers and fishers were in attendance. The National Pollution Funds Center, the R.P., and the Department of Marine Fisheries were also present. "The purpose of the meeting was to explain the claims process, to get to people firsthand to answer questions," said the USCG official. He said that the R.P. employed lobsterer John Stewart, in order to be responsive to locals' concerns, and that locals were encouraged to fill out claims forms immediately fol- lowing the spill. The reaction generated in the Portland community was extremely supportive, according to Cdr. Russell. "We held press briefings daily for the first one and a half, two weeks. We got a lot of calls with offers of assistance. There was significant damage to the envi- ronment, but people pulled togeth- er to mitigate the damage done," he stated. Establishing a smooth informa- tional highway between the com- munity and cleanup command, and between government and private authorities was the key element of success in the Portland response. In a word, R.P. Spokesperson George Blake classified communi- cations and cooperation as "excel- lent." Policing The Aftermath Four weeks after the gash in Julie N poured product into Portland Harbor and the Fore River, the cleanup continued, despite the nor'easter that blasted up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. At that time, Mr. Blake said that shoreline cleanup was underway, although he refrained from commenting on how the stormy conditions were affect- ing recovery efforts. As for the tanker, he said that a decision con- cerning where the vessel would be sent for repairs was "under review at the moment." At press time, Cdr. Russell offered comment on the status of operations: "There are basically about eight miles of shoreline impact. About four miles is marsh grass. Scientists have looked at it and decided to let nature do the rest of the work ... There will be no further action in the marsh area." The USCG commander explained that a chemical soluble had been used to try to lift oil off leaves so it November, 1996 could be picked up in the water, adding: "It wasn't as successful as we'd hoped." While oil in water never bodes well, the highly organized and coordinated on-scene command structure that characterized this latest recovery effort offers a cred- it to the maritime industry, and those that initiated the regula- tions which created the overlap- ping response framework. As industry continues to perfect cleanup technologies and work with government agencies to cre- ate efficient spill networks, using tools such as Incident Response Plans, it is important not to over- look the bottom line. 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