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| Unconfirmed "sludge" seen at a Westport area beach March 6. |
While we have a decent spill response program in Washington, recent studies, including one from the State Oil Spill Advisory Council in 2008, have shown that the program has several significant gaps. It is essential that we address those problems. A major concern that has been identified in several of these studies is the failure of the state to require oil companies to stockpile appropriate, state-of-the art equipment in key locations in Washington. With the right equipment in place, we can ensure a faster, more effective response should a spill occur.
One such improvement would be to ensure that we have equipment, which would allow the state to track oil spills at night and in periods of low visibility. Such equipment exists and it is used in other states and around the world. If we had the ability to image and map the 7,600 gallon Dalco Passage oil spill near Tacoma in 2004, for example, the outcome of that spill would have likely been very different. That spill occurred at night and, as a result, the state had no ability to verify the size or extent of the spill. The problem was compounded by morning fog, which made attempts to track the spill from the air impossible. By the time a response had been organized, the slick had spread dramatically. The resulting delays led to oil washing ashore, spoiling our shorelines and impacting wildlife and fisheries. We can and should do better.
Luckily, this legislative session, with the support of coastal communities, fisherman, shellfish growers, tourism and recreation, and others who care about clean water, House Bill 1186 offers coastal Washington much needed protection against future oil spill incidents.
If it passed, HB 1186 will strengthen Washington oil spill programs. It will strengthen requirements for stockpiling appropriate spills response equipment to respond to events in challenging environments. It will expand the spill response “drill” program to test assumptions made in our spill response plans to better train responders and it will help provide commercial fisherman with incident training and equipment. In addition, funding will increase for the state’s Oil Spill Program, which is currently running a multi-million dollar deficit.
It’s very clear what the economic impacts of a major spill could have on Washington State. A study completed within the last three years by the Department of Ecology was able to determine that such a spill could cost 165,000 jobs and 10.8 billion dollars in economic impacts, not including individual claims or environmental impacts. In addition oil spills are of a huge threat to any number of marine water species and according to NOAA scientists the single greatest threat posed to orca whales in the region, which could disappear entirely upon the threat of a major spill.
So is Washington currently prepared to handle a major oil spill? In October 2008, the Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council completed a yearlong study of the state’s ability to respond to a major spill relying on technical experts from inside and outside the spill cleanup industry, consultants, and their own staff. Currently under Washington law, those responsible for transporting and receiving oil in Washington must have enough staff and equipment to respond to a “worst case scenario” spill and the results of this study revealed our state is simply not prepared for such an event with funding or resources.
To read up on the current status of HB 1186 please visit http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1186.
