NW Area Committee We represent the interagency coordinating body at the regional level. The RRT and NWAC. These two groups are required under the NCP and OPA. This slide shows all the agencies that we count as our members.

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)

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 anyone who has a role in oil spill response. 3

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) 4

Response Ramp Up Local Fire/Hazmat Team responses, generally rely on mutual aid from nearby jurisdictions; State responders provide secondary response support, if needed; Federal responders provide the backstop by providing response support to the locals and State, if resources and funding is exhausted or unavailable During an actual response, specific State and Federal agencies are available as secondary responders. Their requirement is to: Support local responders as requested Fulfill statutory requirements to protect human health and the environment

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 How does it work, really? State and Federal resources provide surge capacity and funding when local resources are overwhelmed. We come in and integrate with existing incident management. Ideally we enter into unified command with the other primary response entities. We all know that strong relationships and accurate expectations are key to good coordination during the incident. The NWAC works to build those two features. We document that work in the NWACP. Another way we support response is to enable “local capacity building” by funding training for locals. Let us know if you have specific needs.

Examples of “Surge” SILVERTIP PIPELINE SPILL Funding Specialized equipment/capability Air monitoring Government to Government Tribal Coordination Cleanup Contractors

Who supports locals during a Response? Marine State Inland

Northwest Area Committee Federal State Tribal Local Non-Profit Industry 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 10 Federal State Tribal 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. NW Area Committee US EPA, R10 USCG, Sector Seattle USCG, Sector Portland RRT 10 US EPA, R10 USCG, D-13 I know the RRT and NWAC relationship is confusing. Let’s summarize it. In R10, these groups meet together.

Regional Response Team NW Area Committee The pre-planning done by the RRT and NWAC is contained in the NWACP. This plan outlines how the federal and state agencies will coordinate during a response. If Washington requests assistance, we will provide it within the structure and policies that are agreed to in this plan. 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 These are some underlying concepts that run through the entire plan. We rely on spillers or witnesses to rapidly self-report. Since we have no network of people watching for spills, we require individuals and facilities to call spills into the NRC, and from there we can implement our call down procedures and let everyone know who needs to know. The Principle of Escalation is that an incident should be handled at the most local level possible. The majority of spills are handled by locals, and this plan is not implemented to deal with them. Unified Command – FOCS, SOSC, TOSC, LOSC, RPOSC

Unified Command Diagram Directly from NWACP, Page 2000-2 Note: The timeframe for this structure will follow the initial response by first responders. FOSC This is how we anticipate Local Incident Commanders and Tribal Incident Commanders being included. Please note: we realize that this structure does not apply to the initial response conducted by first responders. I’d also mention that the reason the FOSC is at the top is because statutorily, we are responsible for “managing” NCP responses. SOSC RPIC Tribal/ other OSC LOSC

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 GRPs have information you need to make a response more effective, in an easy to use format. Just pull the GRP for the correct location, and head to the field. ICS – If asked to fill an ICS position you’re unfamiliar with, turn to the appropriate section fo the plan, and you will find position-specific roles and responsibilities. Local Planning – make sure local plans integrate with State and Federal plans. We want to make sure you know what we can provide, and what we can’t provide. Technical Reference – In Planning Section, information on …????

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 This meets the OPA 90 requirement for pre-planning, and has been completed for the following rivers in Idaho:

WHAT IS A GRP? A response orientated contingency plan providing the framework for initial response decisions SPR 99.5 Spokane River Waters below Post Falls Dam , Collection, 600ft Protecting: Downstream habitat; freshwater wildlife Notify City of Post Falls Parks Department: 208-773-0539. River speeds may warrant use of shorter sections of boom and cascade configuration. Visited and Not Tested 09/2009 SPR 102.0-N Spokane River Waters above Post Falls Dam Notification : Energy/Power Generation Water Intakes – Post Falls Dam Call Avista GCC at 509-495-8114

Direct input route: Task Forces Steering Committee NW Area Committee Gov. Agencies NW Area Committee US EPA, R10 USCG, Sector Seattle USCG, Sector Portland Non-Profits Contractors Industry Public Task Forces Steering Committee RRT 10 US EPA, R10 USCG, D-13 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 We talked about the RRT being a subset of the Area Committee. Duet o overlapping missions and the shared NWACP, the 2 groups work through one steering committee and one set of workgroups. The RRT/NWAC identifies gaps in the plan. Workgroups conduct planning to fill the gaps. Workgroups are made up of ____________ Standing workgroups are ___________

NWAC Plan Evolves and Responders are Informed “Integration with Reality” GRP Workshops NW Area Committee US EPA, R10 USCG, Sector Seattle USCG, Sector Portland Exercises Drills Outreach RRT 10 US EPA, R10 USCG, D-13 Fro the plan to reflect reality, and be useable to responders, there has to be a lot of two-way communications between the public, responders, and the planners. Here are some ways that the plan breaths and evolves _______________________ NWAC Meetings 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