Oil Spill Issues in Washington

What is the Puget Sound Partnership doing in 2013 to address oil spill issues in Washington?

The 2009 Washington State Legislature directed the Puget Sound Partnership to provide independent advice and assessment of Washington State’s oil spill programs and make recommendations for any necessary improvements. In late summer 2010 the Partnership assembled a Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group to help assist the Leadership Council carry out this responsibility.

The 2012 Action Agenda outlines the priorities outlined by the Work Group in May 2011. Over the next two years, the Partnership seeks to promote increased attention to:

• vessel traffic risk assessments,
• reduction of abandoned and derelict vessels, and
• involvement of locals in oil spill practice drills and assessments of natural resources

In October 2012, the Puget Sound Partnership Oil Spill Work Group and Puget Sound Harbor Safety Committee formed a joint Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment (VTRA) Steering Committee, co-chaired by Todd Hass (PSP) and John Veentjer (HSC), comprising about a dozen representatives; drawn from several maritime industry sectors, the Makah Nation, Washington Association of Counties, the Department of Ecology and the US Coast Guard.

In November 2012, the Puget Sound Partnership awarded a grant to George Washington University to update the VTRA for north Puget Sound. Background and latest supporting materials for the analysis are hosted at Professor Rene van Dorp’s GWU website, The VTRA Steering Committee has been meeting regularly since Dec. 2012.

The group charter and notes from those meetings can be found here:

Charter
October 2012
December 2012
February 2013
March 2013

Recent Reports

• Improving Oil Spill Prevention and Response in Washington State. Lessons learned from the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill.
  READ THE REPORT | LEARN MORE
• National Commission releases final report on Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf.
  READ THE REPORT
  
• National Commission releases recommendations summary for Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. RECOMMENDATIONS

History

The Work Group met for three full days in late fall 2010. Attendees of the Work Group’s October 29 meeting unanimously agreed on four recommendations. On November 23, 2010, the PSP Leadership Council passed Resolution 2010-4 to support those recommendations.

The Partnership summarized the Work Group’s recommendations to the House’s Ecology and Parks Committee on December 10, 2010. Video on TVW.

As you can see, the organizations in the Work Group membership list are expected to broadly represent issues, concerns, and recommendations relevant to Puget Sound, the Washington coast, and the lower Columbia River.

Please contact Todd Hass, Program Manager for Marine and Nearshore Special Projects, for the Partnership, if you have questions concerning the Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group or wish to attend/observe its meetings or workshops.

Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group Documents/Links

• Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group Membership List
• Notes (9/23 Meeting)
• Priority-setting results (9/23 Meeting)

Past Agendas

• Combined Agenda for meetings on October 27 and 29
• 9/23 Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group Agenda

Latest Strategic Plans for Washington State Spills Programs and Prior Stakeholder Recommendations

The recommendations in the documents below are being used by the Work Group (synthesized by Hass) to assess common themes and future priorities.

• Ecology Spills Program Strategic Plan 2009-2015
• Oil Spill Advisory Council (OSAC) Work Plan 2009
• OSAC Minority Report 2006
• Oil Spill Early Action Task Force Recommendations 2005
• US Coast Guard-Washington Department of Ecology Shared Strategic Work Plan 2007

Click to here to:

or call 1-800-OILS-911

The Department of Ecology’s Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program has developed a website to track what's happening with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and provide information on how Washington State is providing assistance. For the latest information, click here.

 

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010.