EPA to assist NMI in dealing with Y2K woes

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering extending emergency assistance to the Northern Marianas in the event that the Y2K computer glitch creates environmental problems.

Different government agencies and businesses in the CNMI have upgraded their computer system to be Y2K compliant.

EPA seeks to determine the type of assistance the CNMI might need so it could provide the appropriate response, according to William M. Robberson, member of EPA’s regional response team.

“We are trying to decide what kind of help you will need, if any at all. If there is high confidence that there won’t be any problems, then we will be comfortable that we won’t have to respond at all to any chemical spill,” he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and EPA officials on the island recently to discuss with government agencies the issue of disaster preparedness.

EPA also seeks to assist other U.S. jurisdictions in the Pacific in identifying the quick fix jobs that these areas might still need.

These territories like the CNMI have checked their facilities such as power generation, communication or the gas pipelines to avoid environmental problems.

“All eyes in Washington would be focused on the CNMI and Guam since these are the two U.S. territories that would witness the change of the millennium. You are both on the spotlight as Washington wants to know what would happen and the problems that we may have to respond to on that day,” said Robberson.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also monitoring possible problems in connection with coastal resources in case ships accidentally release chemicals or cause oil spill due to the breakdown of computer equipment.

“So we are looking at the possible disruption in services, from the basic delivery of power to the hospital to the handling of hazardous materials,” said Robberson.

Earlier, the U.S. Coast Guard has asked owners of ships and marine facility managers to make sure that their systems are Y2K compliant to prevent the occurrence of any computer-related disasters.

As part of its marine safety campaign, the U.S. Coast Guard asked vessel owners and operators to fill out the International Maritime Organization’s survey that would determine the preparations to address possible system failures.

The IMO survey will be managed in a nationwide database containing port-specific geographical data for each Captain of the Port Zone. According to U.S. Coast Guard Capt. S. J. Glover, captains of the ports will use this assessment to determine what, if any, operational controls should be imposed on vessels and facilities during high risks periods.

These new regulations took effect last July 23 and will be enforced until to March 31, 2000.

Y2K disasters are most likely to occur in computer programs for engine automation systems that send critical operating signals. If these programs misread “00” as year 1900 instead of 2000, they would misinterpret that 100 years have passed and yield inappropriate response, creating a domino effect that could shutdown the system.

Also at risk are Marine facilities, and other systems that use time as a function of measurement such as fire detection systems cargo tracking software, process flow controls (oil, gas and chemical), temperature controls and alarms are most vulnerable.