State updates oil spill preparedness plans

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ALBANY (AP) — State and federal environmental officials in New York are changing the way they prepare for oil spills.

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation announced last week that it’s working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard to revise and update its plans for preventing and responding to spills.

The process also includes emergency response drills by federal authorities and improvements to maps that detail environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands.

EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said the work is necessary following a “substantial” increase in the transport of oil along the Hudson River and across the state.