Eric Miller is the Chief of the Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD), where he leads a staff of environmental science, policy, and regulatory experts overseeing offshore oil spill preparedness and scientific research. The OSPD manages the bureau’s Oil Spill Preparedness Program that ensures offshore facility owners and operators in federal and state waters and their stakeholders are prepared to respond to an oil spill. The program consists of three primary roles: Preparedness Verification, Oil Spill Response Research, and management of Ohmsett – the National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility.
Miller joined BSEE in 2015. He previously worked in the commercial industry as an oil spill scientist after retiring with 20 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard. As a U.S. Coast Guard commissioned officer, he held numerous positions dealing with oil spill preparedness and response, including the titles of Pollution Investigator and Federal On-Scene Coordinator Representative, Chemistry Instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Liaison to FEMA Headquarters, Executive Director of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research, and the Program Chair for the 2011 and 2014 International Oil Spill Conferences.
He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine science and holds a Master’s degree in environmental science from Christopher Newport University and a Master’s degree in chemistry from Old Dominion University.