OLYMPIA — Informal public comment is being taken on an initial draft of an updated rule pertaining to oil spill readiness.
The state Department of Ecology is required by a new law passed last year to enhance the state oil spill contingency plan rule by December.
The plan is expected to ensure that the state can mount an aggressive, rapid and well-coordinated response in the event of a major oil spill in state waters.
Comments taken now are informal. The formal comment period, including public hearings, won’t be starting until September, said department spokesman Curt Hart.
An advisory committee will meet today to provide informal comment and recommendations to help Ecology update and improve the state’s oil spill readiness — or contingency — plan rule when it meets today.
The advisory committee meeting is set from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Ave. S.E., in Lacey.
The committee will meet monthly through May.
Committee meetings are open to the public, but Ecology said that since space is limited, the meetings also are available through a webinar at http://tinyurl.com/7anbnzx.
Available for review
An initial draft update of the rule is available at http://tinyurl.com/6rsql5b for informal public review until May 31.
Comments are accepted both by email or verbally during rule advisory committee meetings.
Comments can be emailed to spillsrulemaking@ecy.wa.gov, with the subject line “WAC 173-182: DRAFT Contingency Plan Update Comment.”
More comments will be taken during the formal comment period later this year.
Response equipment
Today’s meeting will focus on a cornerstone of the new law that requires oil and vessel shipping companies that operate in the Puget Sound and the Columbia River to invest in response equipment and personnel to provide continuous on-water oil cleanup activities at night and during fog, rain and other inclement conditions.
During the 2010 catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a variety of new response technologies were demonstrated to be effective for cleaning up oil on water, Ecology said.
This includes new equipment that can hold oil collection boom in place in fast water, advanced high-efficiency oil skimming technology and devices that contain, separate and store recovered oil in a single unit.
Ecology, with help from its advisory committee, is considering these and other technologies to determine how best to improve Washington’s oil spill response system.
Details about advisory committee meetings, including meeting dates, agendas and membership, are available at http://tinyurl.com/862r9y7.
