Oil Spill Prevention
THE CHALLENGE: Oil Spill Prevention in Puget Sound
Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits are among the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Fifteen billion gallons of petroleum move across the waters of Puget Sound in ships every year. Our five huge refineries receive tanker-loads of Alaskan oil hundreds of times every year. And cargo ships of all kinds -- accounting for thousands of trips in Puget Sound each carry enough fuel to devastate Puget Sound should a spill occur.
Even in the best of circumstances, we never achieve complete recovery of the oil spilled. While it is important that the state be as prepared as possible to address a spill should one occur; the key is to prevent spills from happening.
Several years ago, the Department of Ecology conducted a study to determine the potential economic impacts of a major spill. They concluded that a major spill would cost 165,000 jobs and 10.8 billion dollars in economic impacts alone (2004). This does not include individual claims or environmental impacts.
According to NOAA scientists, of all the threats posed to orca whales in the region, the threat of a major oil spill is the single greatest risk to the species. Such a spill could easily wipe out our resident orca populations.
Looming Threat To Puget Sound: Alberta’s Tar Sands Oil
Vessel traffic through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Salish Sea is expected to heighten significantly as Canada increases oil exports to Asian markets through the Gateway Terminal project in Burnaby, British Columbia, just across the border. Kinder Morgan, owner of Canada’s TransMountain tar sands oil pipeline, has announced plans to expand its capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 850,000 barrels per day thereby increasing tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet to nearly 365 tankers per year, up from about 70.
Alberta tar sands oil, which will be exported by tanker, is particularly worrisome, because it is heavy and dense, and if spilled is likely to sink below the water’s surface making clean-up particularly difficult.
RALLY on May 5, 2012
On Saturday May 5th, People For Puget Sound will participate in a rally at the Shell Refinery in Anacortes to bring greater public attention to the threats tar sands oil exports pose to Puget Sound. About 6% of the oil used at the Shell Refinery and that used in Washington state is from the Canadian tar sands.
Join us!
When: Saturday May 5, 2012 at 11:00 am
Where: Shell Refinery, 8505 South Texas Road, Anacortes, WA
WHAT WE DO: People For Puget Sound and Oil Spill Prevention
People For Puget Sound has been a leader at the state level working to ensure that Washington has some of the strongest spill prevention and response programs in the world.
Legislative Bill (2011): Enhancing Washington State's Oil Spill Program
As tens of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 from the BP oil rig disaster, we are once again reminded that catastrophic oil spills do happen and that the consequences of failing to prepare for them are severe. Should a major spill occur in Washington State waters, the consequences of such a spill would likely be much greater than the spill in the Gulf. Vessels travel close to our shorelines and in confined waterways, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River. A spill off the Pacific Coast would be quickly driven ashore by the winds and seas.
Taking the initiative in 2011, People For Puget Sound organized a diverse coalition of stakeholders to support, introduce and pass legislation to enhance Washington’s oil spill preparedness and response capability by:
- Directing the Department of Ecology to develop rules which will require stockpiling of additional, state-of-the-art spill response equipment, including aerial surveillance (to allow response in nighttime and foggy conditions) and equipment capable of operating in fast currents and waves;
- Requiring large scale deployment drills to test response capability in our spill-response plans and to better train responders;
- Increasing damages for spills; and
- Training, equipping, and engaging commercial fishermen for oil spill-response to increase the region’s response capacities.
In 2012, People For Puget Sound continues to advocate on these issues as the Department of Ecology finalizes new rules to carry out the law. The rules are scheduled for adoption in December.
Legislative Bill (2009): Oil Spill Rescue Tug
After ten years of fighting for piecemeal funding from the legislature, People For Puget Sound successfully led an effort to pass legislation which requires oil companies and other shippers to station a “rescue tug” at Neah Bay. The rescue tug functions in much the same way a fire engine does. It stands ready to assist vessels that lose power or are otherwise disabled and risk running aground. Groundings are a major cause of spills around the world. Inside Puget Sound, a number of commercial tugs are available to assist a disabled vessel, but for the 80-mile stretch from Port Angeles to Neah Bay and across the entire outer coast, such tugs are rare. During the past decade, rescue tugs have been responsible for dozens of rescues or assists of oil tankers, cargo vessels, and other vessels in the region.
Legislative Bills (2004, 2005 and 2007): Spill Prevention
In 2004, People For Puget Sound led an effort to pass legislation which imposed requirements on shippers to “pre-boom” vessels when they transfer oil to and from onshore facilities like refineries. Under this approach, vessels are encircled with containment booms before oil is transferred. Oil transfers are one of the major causes of spills in Washington and around the world and this prevention program is now recognized as one of the best in the world.
In 2005, we proposed and worked to achieve passage of legislation establishing the Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council, to review state spill programs and recommended improvements.
People For Puget Sound has also worked to ensure that the state adopts strong regulations requiring oil companies and other shippers stockpile cleanup gear and train regularly to prepare for a spill should it occur. Regulations on this subject were adopted in 2007. We continue to work with the state Department of Ecology to strengthen these plans.
A LOOK AHEAD
Despite these victories, our work is far from complete. There is much more to do to protect our shorelines and ecosystem from the threat of a major spill. We continue to work with state officials, state legislators, and a range of others to insure that Washington enjoys the strongest protection possible against the threat of a major oil spill.
See also Assessment of Capacity in Washington State to Respond to Large-scale Marine Oil Spills
For more information:
Heather Trim, Policy Director (206) 456-3809
To get involved:
Rein Attemann, Advocacy Manager (206) 456-3810
