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1. The state's aggressive vessel and facility inspection and incident
investigation programs help identify and correct sub-standard operations
before a spill happens.
2. Neah Bay Emergency Response Tug and tanker exclusion zones off our
coast and Canada help prevent disabled vessels from grounding and
spilling oil along our pristine and rugged coastline.
3. Ability to track vessels real-time through automated identification
system (AIS) and the Joint U.S./Canadian Vessel Traffic Service &
Traffic Separation Schemes throughout Straits and Puget Sound waters
greatly reduce the likelihood of vessel collisions and groundings due to
human error.
4. WA state’s tug escort requirement for laden tankers for Puget Sound
waters remains an important preventative measure, despite phase out of
the federal escort requirement based on tankers becoming double hulled.
5. Proactive collaboration with other regulatory agencies and industry
through varied forums to develop voluntary best practices or identify
and implement new rules, such as the rules for pre-booming higher-risk
oil transfer operations and Ecology’s inspection of such operations have
significantly enhanced environmental protection against related spills.
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1. The Northwest Area Contingency Plan
provides response policies and tools that greatly benefit
Washingtonians. A decision whether to use a chemical agent to disperse
an oil spill from the water’s surface, for example, can be made in 2
hours.. The area plan has a policy to include tribes and local
governments as part of the unified command.
2. Incident Command System (ICS) provides a framework for managing
oil spill responses. ICS provides a way for responders to work together
effectively. These responders may be drawn from multiple organizations
that do not routinely work together. ICS is designed to reduce the
problems and potential for miscommunication during oil spills.
3. Washington’s natural, cultural and important economic resources
are pre-identified in Geographic Response Plan strategies (GRPs). GRPs
are part of the Northwest Area Plan. These strategies list actions to
take immediately to minimize damage from oil spills.
4. Industry oil spill contingency plans: credible and robust plans
that are tested frequently through drills. More than 550 drills were
conducted in Washington, and evaluated by Ecology, in 2008. Plans are
improved through lessons learned at drills and spills.
5. Spill response capability & equipment verification: maintenance,
training & deployment of equipment are conducted routinely. |
1.
Improved
response equipment resources including dedicated resources such as
Marine Spill Response Corporation on-water oil response equipment,
equipment caches placed in the hands of trained local responders, and
infra-red aerial surveillance equipment for detecting night-time spills.
2. Dedicated
spill responders at Ecology on-call 24/7 who are available to respond to
about 3,800 reported spills each year. Responders are positioned in 6
offices around the state to improve response time.
3. An
improved legal framework which provides access for state investigators,
requires spillers to clean up their spills, requires financial
responsibility for bulk oil handlers, establishes a state clean-up fund,
allows recovery of state expenses from spillers, and provides
enforcement tools such as administrative orders and penalties.
4. An
Education and Outreach Program that includes an aggressive public
information strategy when spills happen, spill awareness training for
citizen groups, tribes and local governments, and collaborative regional
resources coordination and spill response planning.
5. A
unique state-led Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) program
which recovers cost for damages to public natural resources and invests
in restoration projects to help offset for spill damages.
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Prevention
Preparedness
Response