OSTF - Current Interests - Current Interests

Current Interests

The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force is proud to announce the following 2012 Legacy Awards winners:

The SE Alaska Petroleum Resource Organization (SEAPRO)
Eric Olsson, Washington Sea Grant
Kathy Fletcher, founder of People for Puget Sound
Captain Daniel LeBlanc, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River
The U.S. Coast Guard SS Montebello Project Team
Rusty Nall, Executive Vice President, the American Marine Corporation and PENCO

The 2012 Legacy Awards will be presented at the Opening General Session of the Clean Pacific Conference in Long Beach, California on May 16, 2012.

The Oil Spill Task Force will host the 2012 Clean Pacific Conference

The CLEAN PACIFIC CONFERENCE is the premier West Coast Training Event and Exhibition focused on oil, hazmat spill, planning, prevention and response. It will take place May 15-17, 2012 in Long Beach, CA. Our theme for 2012 will be "Tsunamis, Spills, Shipwrecks - Meeting Multiple Pacific Challenges."

General Sessions will include the Task Force's 2012 Legacy Awards, a Keynote speaker (Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator, Invited), and updates from state, provincial and federal agencies. Conference sessions will follow four tracks: 1) Prevention; 2) Response & Operations; 3) Planning and Preparedness; and 4) Emerging Issues.

The Exhibit Hall will offer exciting opportunities to network and learn about the latest tools and technologies.

CLEAN PACIFIC 2012 will be of great value to everyone in the industry, the environmental community, spill response organizations, consultants, equipment suppliers, and to federal, state, local and tribal governments. Because of the importance of communication to our mutual success, the conference will bring us together to discuss and develop solution oriented approaches to many important issues.

To register for the conference or get hotel information, click on the link below then on the "Registration/Travel" button.

www.cleanpacific.org

The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force has chosen a new Executive Coordinator

Please Join Us In Welcoming Sarah Brace!

Sarah Brace, The Task Force's new Executive Coordinator

The Members of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force have chosen Ms. Sarah Brace as their next Executive Coordinator!

Sarah Brace has spent the past 15 years working with federal, state and local scientists and managers on protecting water quality, habitat and species at risk. As Coordinator of the Puget Sound Assessment and Monitoring Program, Sarah collaborated with researchers from across the Salish Sea region to help inform and shape environmental policy. As a facilitator, she has led workshops, forums and meetings on key ecosystem issues. She has written and edited numerous science-based reports and articles aimed at informing decision-makers and the public. Her background in ecosystem science - coupled with her experience with multiple levels of government and the private sector - allows Sarah to maneuver comfortably between science and policy. Sarah is co-founder of Veda Environmental, a small woman-owned consulting firm with offices in Seattle and Bellingham.

You'll have an opportunity to meet Sarah at the Clean Pacific Conference May 16-17 in Long Beach, California. She will assume the Executive Coordinator duties on July 1st when Jean Cameron retires.

Jon Neel of the Washington Department of Ecology receives an Outstanding Service Award from the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force on March 15, 2012.

Jon Neel receives Outstanding Service Award from the Oil Spill Task Force

Jon Neel served as Ecology's Coordinating Committee member from 1989 -1998 and then again from 2005 to 2011. The Task Force accomplished much with Jon's assistance during those 17 years, and his service to the Task Force is ongoing as Ecology's Coordinating Committee Alternate.

Our 2012 Annual Report is now Available

Hard copies of this Annual Report will be available at the Clean Pacific Conference
Click here for a pdf version (pdf, 1.8 MB).

Learning from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of National Significance

A Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin helicopter passes over the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, July 4, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class John Masson; photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

The Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, June 9. 2010 (browardnetonline.com

The member agencies of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force continue to monitor the response, Natural Resource Damage Assessments, Lessons Learned and policy developments associated with the Deepwater Horizon Spill of National Significance.

We were honored to host officials and experts to reflect on Lessons Learned from the Deepwater Horizon response as speakers at both our 2010 and 2011 Annual Meetings. You can view the 2010 presentations under MEETING NOTES from our home page and the 2011 presentations under CURRENT INTERESTS.

Key policy themes for the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force going forward include:

Continued state access to planning through the Area Contingency Planning process;
Continued state access to decision-making during a response through Unified Command and the Incident Command System;
Coordinating industry contingency planning with Area Plans in order to ensure that sufficient response equipment is available for both offshore and nearshore response to a Worst Case Discharge; and
Ensuring that each coastal region - including our Pacific Coast area - has adequate response capacity for mutual aid at the regional level.
For your convenience, here are the links to reports and websites for the Deepwater Horizon event:

Deepwater Horizon Reports:

Report of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and National Research Council:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13273

Report of the National Incident Commander:
http://www.nrt.org/production/NRT/NRTWeb.nsf/AllAttachmentsByTitle/SA-1065NICReport/$File/Binder1.pdf?OpenElement

Report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling:
www.oilspillcommission.gov/final-report

Report of the Incident Specific Preparedness Review Team:
BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) Final Report (http://www.uscg.mil/foia/docs/DWH/BPDWH.pdf)

The Deepwater Horizon FOSC Report:
http://www.uscg.mil/foia/docs/DWH/FOSC_DWH_Report.pdf

The US Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) final reports of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) explosion and fire:
http://www.brymar-consulting.com/wp-content/uploads/Misc/JIT_Report_Vol_I.pdf

http://www.brymar-consulting.com/wp-content/uploads/Misc/JIT_Report_Vol_II.pdf

Deepwater Horizon Incident websites:
Unified Command: http://www.restorethegulf.gov/
NOAA: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
Gulf Response on-line mapping tool: www.GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill
BP: www.bp.com/gulfofmexicoresponse
A bibliography that lists peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, commentaries and book chapters regarding Deepwater Horizon: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/researchtools/subjectguides/dwh_bibliography.pdf

Events Calendar (pdf, 213k)

A handy reference guide to conferences and other events of interest to oil spill professionals.
If you would like to add your event to this calendar, please send information to JeanRCameron@oregoncoast.com.