As the response phase of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) incident entered the fall of 2010, the Joint Industry Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Task Force (OSPR JITF), led by the American Petroleum Institute (API), was finalizing its initial draft of assessments and recommendations based on the DWH response. The OSPR JITF issued a draft of their report in September 2010. This report concluded that a review of the Alternative Response Tool Evaluation System (ARTES) was needed, resulting in the establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG). The TWG was given the following tasks:
• OSPR JITF Alternative Technology Recommendation #1 (AT-1, Concurrent Incident Evaluation, Task 1)—To examine and recommend potential changes to the existing ARTES process endorsed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
