NW Area CommitteeRegional Response Team 10 and

NW Area Contingency Plan

NW Area Committee Meeting13 February, 2013

Heather A. Parker

U.S. Coast Guard 13th District

Seattle, WA

RRT10 Member Agencies

What is an Area Committee?

• Interagency group charged with pre-planning for oil spills

• Comprised of any player who has a role in oil spill response

• Spatial boundaries defined by EPA/USCG

• Mandated by OPA 90 Section 4202(4)(A)

3

4

Who is on an Area Committee?• Fire Department

• Tribes

• Local Health Dist.

• Industry

• NGOs

• Private Citizens

• State Police

• State Health Department

• State Env. Reg.

• USCG

• EPA

• NOAA

• DOI

• DoD, DOE, etc.

Area Committee members include anyonewho has a role in oil spill response.

5

What is an Area Contingency Plan?

• A local/regional blueprint for oil (and hazmat) response– Contact information

– Policy decisions

– Sensitive resource information

– Local/Regional response resources

• Mandated by OPA 90 Section 4202(C)

Response Support

• When local capabilities and/or funds are overwhelmed, NWAC agencies could provide surge capacity and expertise

• When federally protected natural resources are impacted, NWAC agencies may be obligated to respond

• RRT/NWAC Goal: Strong relationships and understanding of roles/responsibilities ahead of time to ensure good coordination during the incident

UNIFIED COMMAND

How do Locals get involved in an oil spill during a Response?

Marine Spills

State

Inland Spills

Responsible Party

Federal

TRIBE(S)COUNTY(S)

EPA-USCG

Jurisdictional BoundaryUNIFIED

COMMAND

COUNTY(S)

Responsible Party

TRIBE(S)

State

RRT 10US EPA, R10USCG, D-13

NW Area CommitteeUS EPA, R10

USCG, Sector SeattleUSCG, Sector Portland

Northwest Area Committee Federal StateTribal Local Non-ProfitIndustry

Members are any entity with response interest in region. This includes all RRT members as well as county and city agencies and the private sector.

Regional Response Team 10FederalStateTribal

Member agencies are identified in NCP. Each of 15 Federal Agencies and State Lead Agency have one vote when the RRT assembles during a response.

In R10, these groups meet together.

NW Area Committee

Regional Response Team

NWACP Concept of Operations

• Rapid notification of Federal, State, and local governments to permit assessment and response, if necessary– National Response Center, 800-424-8802

• Relies on the principle of escalation• Utilizes the National Incident Management System

(NIMS) and Incident Command System/Unified Command (ICS/UC) principles

Unified Command Diagram

Directly from NWACP, Page 2000-2

FOSC

Tribal/ other OSC

RPIC

LOSC

SOSC

Note: The timeframe for this structure will follow the initial response by first responders.

Concept of Operations, cont.

• Provides for access to considerable resources and expertise as situations requires

• Covers all spills regardless of nature, cause or source– oil and hazmat– fixed facility and transportation– inland and coastal– natural and man-made disasters

Useful NWACP Tools

• For oil spills on water with GRPs• Clearwater/Lochsa, Spokane, Pend Oreille

• For large incidents• Contact information for State and Federal Resources• Technical response resources

• For local contingency planning• Information on State and Federal capabilities (equipment,

expertise, funding)• Reference for role State and Feds are ready to fill

Purpose of the GRP’s

• Prioritize natural, cultural and significant economic resources

• Allow for immediate and proper action • First responders know what actions to take• Includes:

– Area maps– Prioritized booming strategies– Access points– Staging areas

WHAT IS A GRP?

• A pre-established booming strategy to be used in the early hours of a response.

• Identifying sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources;

• Describes and prioritizes protection and other strategies

18

Where have GRPs been developed?

• Nine GRPs for Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the outer-coast of Washington.

• Seven for the Columbia, Snake and Spokane Rivers.• One for the Lower Nisqually River.• One for Clark and Cowlitz counties.• Snohomish watershed.

RRT 10US EPA, R10USCG, D-13

NW Area CommitteeUS EPA, R10

USCG, Sector SeattleUSCG, Sector Portland

Steering CommitteeTask Forces

Public

Contractors

Industry

Non-Profits

Direct input route:

Gov. Agencies

2012 Task Forces:• Places of Refuge• Derelict Vessels• Shoreline Cleanup (SCAT)• Cultural and Historic Preservation• Dispersants and In Situ Burn• General Community Outreach• GRPs/Advanced Recovery• Wildlife Task Force

RRT 10US EPA, R10USCG, D-13

NW Area CommitteeUS EPA, R10

USCG, Sector SeattleUSCG, Sector Portland

GRP Workshops

Task Forces

Drills/ Exercises

Outreach

NWAC Meetings

NWAC Plan Evolves and Responders are Informed

“Integration with Reality”

Annual Plan Review

How to get the plan, and connect with the NWAC

http://www.rrt10nwac.com/

Josie Clark Heather Parker RRT10 Coordinator, EPA RRT10 Coordinator, USCG 206-553-6239 206-220-7215 clark.josie@epa.gov heather.a.parker@uscg.mil