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Department of Ecology News Release - August 1, 2001
01-133
OLYMPIA - Less than two weeks after losing state approval to be a primary spill responder in Washington state, the National Response Corp. (NRC) has been re-certified.
According to officials with the state Department of Ecology (Ecology), the company took prompt and aggressive measures to move spill-response equipment, including a large ocean-going response vessel, into the Neah Bay area; provided additional training to its personnel; and established procedures to notify the state about future changes in the company's readiness to respond to spills. NRC also made arrangements with other contractors to have a tug and barge readily available to store oil collected from an oil spill.
All of the actions have been audited and verified by Ecology. Unannounced spill drills also will be performed to further assess the company's ability to respond to an oil spill.
Linda Pilkey-Jarvis of Ecology's spills program said tanker companies whose vessels travel in Washington may once again hire NRC to be their primary responder in the event of an oil spill. Those that do must enter the information into their spill-contingency plans and provide an updated plan to Ecology.
"NRC has done a good job of restoring its ability to handle a major spill," said Pilkey-Jarvis.
She added that, in addition to oversight provided by the state, tanker companies need to stay aware of their contractors' level of readiness.
"Ultimately, it's the tanker companies who are legally responsible for having response capability in place, and they need to be vigilant about making sure they're getting what they pay for," she said.
MEDIA CONTACT: Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, Spills Program, 360-407-7447For more information: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
