PORT ANGELES – Persons with expert knowledge of Washington’s coast and the Strait of Juan de Fuca have until April 1 to share it with officials drawing up oil spill response plans.
The invitation came Thursday during workshops hosted by the state Department of Ecology to gather information for its Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program.
Specifically, the workshops centered on Geographic Response Plans, or GRPs, from the mouth of the Columbia River to Cape Flattery and from Neah Bay to Admiralty Inlet.
About 30 environmental scientists, oil shippers, cleanup contractors and government officials gathered at the Clallam County Courthouse to discuss how they should submit information to the state.
Participants included Lt. Danielle Renoud of the U.S. Coast Guard, which would lead a spill response, and David Sawicki of BP – formerly British Petroleum – which operates a refinery at Cherry Point in Whatcom County that processes crude oil from Alaska.
BP also owns the Alaska Tanker Company, whose tankers often visit the Port of Port Angeles for topside repairs.
A second meeting was held at Port Angeles City Hall.
Heading the sessions was John Williams of Ecology, who said the GRPs were designed to guide responders immediately after a spill, before they design medium- or long-range operations.
Williams said a GRP was put into use successfully in Seattle on Wednesday for a 42-gallon spill in Elliott Bay.
