State Office of Marine Safety Merges with Ecology

Washington State Department of Ecology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 15, 1997
97-133

Contacts:
Tom Eaton, Ecology Senior Policy Analyst (360) 407-6086
Steve Hunter, Spill Program, Response Section Manager (360) 407-6974
Dave Lundstrom, Spill Program, Preparedness Section Manager (360) 407-6975
Stan Norman, Spill Program, Prevention Section Manager (360) 664-9123

State Office of Marine Safety Merges with Ecology

Olympia, WA - On July 1, the state Office of Marine Safety (OMS) merged with the Department of Ecology to form a new comprehensive spill prevention, preparedness and response program.

The merger combines OMS' marine vessel safety and oil spill prevention activities with Ecology's facility oil spill prevention and statewide oil and hazardous material response and restoration program. Dubbed the "Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program," the new Ecology office will be comprised of about 55 staff including spill responders, vessel inspectors, environmental planners, engineers, and other management and support staff.

"We are excited about the possibilities created by the merger," said Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons. "We are taking an effective vessel oil spill prevention program and combining it with a strong spill response, preparedness and restoration effort. By creating a single, unified program, we can make better use of scarce state resources to prevent oil spills and more effectively respond to, clean up and investigate the cause of any spills that do occur. I believe this program will be greater than the sum of its parts."

After the 1988 Nestucca oil spill off Grays Harbor County and the 1991 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, Washington citizens demanded that the state establish a higher level of protection than the national spill prevention and response standards which existed at the time. In 1991, the state legislature established the independent marine safety office and Ecology's spill program. Under this original law, OMS was slated to "sunset" and fold its activities into Ecology in 1997. Although consideration was given to keep OMS an independent agency, the 1997 Legislature passed House Bill 2096 which assured that the planned merger would occur. Signed by Gov. Gary Locke, HB 2096:

Establishes a new spill prevention, preparedness and response program within Ecology;
Transfers all OMS activities and employees to the new Ecology program;
Creates an advisory committee to report back to the legislature on the effectiveness of the merger in December 1998;
Reduces the maximum money available from the state Oil Spill Response Fund from $25 million to $10 million; and
Shifts funding to increase the Oil Spill Administration Account deposits from three to four cents out a five cent tax on a barrel of oil. This account funds state oil spill prevention, preparedness and response activities.

"The strong vessel safety and inspection program that OMS worked so hard to establish over the last five years will continue under the new organization," said Prevention Section Manager Stan Norman. "Through the merger, we will actually strengthen and improve our ability to prevent vessel oil transfer spills at marine terminals. Now when we look at spill prevention, we will be able to do so with a unified vision and program."

Ecology will maintain its geographic service delivery through marine safety field offices in Seattle and on the Columbia River, and will keep its current spill preparedness and 24-hour spill response capability at the agency's four regional offices in Bellevue, Lacey, Spokane and Yakima.

According to Dave Lundstrom, Preparedness Manager, the new program will continue to place an emphasis on developing spill readiness through drills and exercises. The new program will also continue to provide response to oil and hazardous material spills on a 24-hour, statewide basis.

"Every year, we receive approximately 3,500 reports of potential oil and hazardous material spills and our staff make more than 800 field responses to incidents that threaten public health and the environment," said Response Manager Steve Hunter. "The merger gives us greater depth while we maintain our existing response to serious incidents like overturned chemical tanker trucks, midnight hazardous material dumps, clandestine drug labs and major oil spills."

While the new spill program will focus on maintaining and improving current prevention, preparedness and response activities, the office faces several important hurdles in the months ahead. Ecology will defend against a lawsuit filed by INTERTANKO, an international consortium of tanker owners which has challenged Washington's right to impose state standards on vessels regularly traveling state waters. In addition, a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Oil and Refining Co. of Tacoma has challenged the constitutionality of the oil barrel tax which funds the state's basic spills program.

"These challenges make us more resolute than ever to continue the focus on preventing spills," Fitzsimmons said. "With the merger in place, Washington now speaks with a single voice on spill prevention."

Fitzsimmons said the integrated spill program will allow Ecology to take advantage of new opportunities in "reshaping our partnerships with our counterparts in government, industry and the environmental community. The merger will also help us drive and shape new initiatives such as the Puget Sound Risk Analysis, a federal study which will guide future actions to prevent major, catastrophic oil spills in our region."

Former Ecology spill program manager Greg Sorlie has been tagged to lead the agency's Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program and Ecology is currently recruiting a manager to lead the new integrated spills program. Until a new leader is named, the program will be co-managed by the prevention, preparedness and response section managers. Response section head Steve Hunter will lead the team.