1. Regional Response Team X
NW Area Committee and
Regional Response Team X
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.

2. Interagency Spill Coordination
MODE 1: When operating under FEMA umbrella as Emergency Support Function #10 after a large disaster
Allows for broader scope, requires State or Tribal cost share, Mission Assigned by FEMA
MODE 2: When operating under National Contingency Plan after a significant oil or hazmat incident
Limited to statutory authority to protect human health and the environment, funded by federal money, self-deploy
We use the interagency structure and plan that I’m going to talk about under two different response types, a disaster and an oil or hazmat spill. The mechanics by which we coordinate remain the same. In Mode 1 – ESF #10, our work is assigned by FEMA and partially funded by state or tribal cost shares. In Mode 2 – oil or hazmat event, we self-deploy based on our regulatory responsibility, and we rely entirely on federal funds.

3. 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)
Chairs: Coast Guard FOSCs, EPA FOSC
Vice Chairs: SOSCs from WA, OR and ID

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 committees are open to anyone who wants to join, but typically only people with a role or interest in oil spill response go for it.
First responders – fire, police, industry
Secondary responders – State and Federal regulators, Tribes, NOAA
Stakeholders – private citizens, environmental advocacy groups such as Friends of the Columbia River.
Area Committee members include anyone who has a role in oil spill response. 4

5. Regional Response Team (RRT 10)?
What is
Regional Response Team (RRT 10)?
Mandated by National Contingency Plan
Conduct pre-planning for oil and hazmat spills to ensure coordinated federal support
Support On-Scene Coordinator during incident
Co-Chaired by EPA and USCG D13
Membership from 15 federal agencies and states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and 2 tribes (more to come)
Two bodies share regional planning responsibilities. The first I’ll talk about is the Regional Response Team.
The NCP mandates the formation of Regional Response Teams. These regional response teams are charged with contingency planning prior to incidents, and during incidents they can be called together to muster resources to assist the on-scene coordinator, or approve specific response strategies.

6. Steering Committee In R10, these groups meet together.
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 OSC
USCG, Sector Puget Sound
USCG, Sector Columbia River
RRT 10
US EPA, R10
USCG, D-13
In the region, you often see the NWAC mentioned in concert with the RRT.
The regional response team is also an interagency body that coordinates for spill response. It pre-dates area committees.
RRTs were mandated by the NCP. The must ensure planning happens. OPA put a finer point on that mandate through area committees.
RRTs are the federal agencies with resources or authorities. During spills, they can cascade resources to the FOSC, and must approve certain response techniques such as dispersant application and burning agent application.
Steering Committee

7. Preparedness Components of the National Response System
Managing Organization
Level
Plans
Local
LEPC Plans
LEPCs
Area Committees
/SERCs
Area/State
ACP
Emergency Response planning happens at multiple levels. The National Contingency Plan, in the red triangle, is written into federal regulation, and mandates how the federal government will respond to oil and hazardous material spills. The National Contingency Plan also mandates that planning for oil and hazmat spills occurs at the regional level, and establishes Regional Response Teams to ensure that planning happens. Regional plans outline how federal agencies, states and locals will interact during a response, and generally lay out policies and available resources. Local plans have significantly more detail and focus on a small geographic area, or a single facility or vessel. All levels of plans should work together during a response.
National Contingency Plan (NCP; CERCLA/OPA)
Governs how EPA and USCG will respond to releases of hazardous materials and discharges of oil
Designates the federal On Scene Coordinator (OSC) as the lead responder
Requires FOSC to direct responses to oil discharges posing “substantial” threat
Requires RRT to develop a “Regional Contingency Plan” and FOSCs to develop “Area Contingency Plan(s)”
Regional
RCP
RRTs
National
NCP
NRT

8. the National Response System – here in the Northwest
Managing Organization
Level
Plans
LEPC Plans
Local
LEPCs
NWACP = Combined
RCP+ACP
Emergency Response planning happens at multiple levels. The National Contingency Plan, in the red triangle, is written into federal regulation, and mandates how the federal government will respond to oil and hazardous material spills. The National Contingency Plan also mandates that planning for oil and hazmat spills occurs at the regional level, and establishes Regional Response Teams to ensure that planning happens. Regional plans outline how federal agencies, states and locals will interact during a response, and generally lay out policies and available resources. Local plans have significantly more detail and focus on a small geographic area, or a single facility or vessel. All levels of plans should work together during a response.
National Contingency Plan (NCP; CERCLA/OPA)
Governs how EPA and USCG will respond to releases of hazardous materials and discharges of oil
Designates the federal On Scene Coordinator (OSC) as the lead responder
Requires FOSC to direct responses to oil discharges posing “substantial” threat
Requires RRT to develop a “Regional Contingency Plan” and FOSCs to develop “Area Contingency Plan(s)”
Area/State
+ Regional
Area Committee + RRT
National
NCP
NRT

9. 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

10. 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) 10

11. 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
So now I’ve talked about the pieces of our group that are required by law, but how do they actually function?
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
When do we turn to the NWACP?

12. 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.

13. NCP Basics: 40 CFR 300
The National Contingency Plan (NCP) provides for “efficient, coordinated, and effective response to discharges”.
The NCP:
Requires spillers notify the National Response Center.
Outlines the capabilities and responsibilities of different Federal agencies during oil spill response.
Empowers On-Scene Coordinators to make final response decisions with appropriate input.
Sets for the organizational structure and procedures that guide oil spill planning and response actions.
The National Contingency Plan (NCP), a regulation that implements important parts of the Clean Water Act, calls for agency representatives to work together to prepare for, respond to, and remove spills (discharges) in or adjacent to US waters. The NCP sets forth the organizational structure and procedures that guide oil spill planning and response actions, including coordination in the planning stage, notification of a oil spill event, and setting up response options.

14. On Scene Coordinator Actions
Go to the incident scene and coordinate resources/decisions
Have immediate access to technical and cleanup contractors
Can approve necessary actions to mitigate impacts from oil and hazmat incidents
Ensure notification of Tribal/State agencies and notification of Fed/Tribal/State trustees
Prioritize human health and natural/cultural resources
EPA FOSCs meeting with BNSF officials during derailment in Galena, IL, 2015.

15. Unified Command Diagram Directly from NWACP, Page 2000-2
FOSC –
EPA inland
USCG coastal
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

16. Getting the right inputs
Unified Command
Making good decisions requires having the right people with the right information at the response
Mandatory Consultation with tribes and resource trustees (DOI, NOAA, ESA, CHPA)
Ops, Liaison, Logs, Finance, Safety, Public Affairs
Endangered cave salamander in OH, 2014.

17. Lower Columbia GRP

18. 311.8 – Diversion, 5 lengths of 50’ each, use boom to divert oil shore for collection at boat ramp.
305.7 – Fish Removal, remove dead fish from Hog Island area to protect bald eagle and heron
22.2 – deflection, 6 lengths of 50’ each, use boom to deflect oil around tribal fish hatchery water intake

19. Additional Information in GRPs
Fish and wildlife resources
Seasonal overflight restrictions
Logistics
Site description including risk assessment
IDAHO GRPs:
Spokane River, Lower Snake River, Pend Oreille, Clearwater/Lochsa

20. Direct input route: Steering Committee Task Forces 2016 Task Forces:
Gov. Agencies
NW Area Committee
US EPA, R10
USCG, Sector Puget Sound
USCG, Sector Columbia River
Non-Profits
Contractors
Industry
Public
Steering Committee
Task Forces
RRT 10
US EPA, R10
USCG, D-13
2016 Task Forces:
Tribal Engagement
96 Hours
Dispersant Tools
Community Air Monitoring
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 ___________

21. NWAC Plan Evolves and Responders are Informed
“Integration with Reality”
GRP Workshops
NW Area Committee
US EPA, R10 OSC
USCG, Sector Puget Sound
USCG, Sector Columbia River
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

22. 2017 NWACP Posted for public comment!
10/1/2016 – 10/31/2016
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.

23. Key Updates to NWACP: Tribal Policy consolidated and clarified
Liaison and Joint Information Center Manuals updated to address community engagement coordination.
Dispersant Application Tool reorganized
New Tool: 96 Hour Plan
Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security now Idaho Office of Emergency Management

24. How to get the plan, and connect with the NWAC
Josie Clark Elizabeth Petras
RRT10 Coordinator, EPA RRT10 Coordinator, USCG
pending