State Of Maine Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan

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State Of Maine Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan
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Title 38 M.R.S.A. 546-A

• Lead to the State Marine Oil Spill Contingency
  Plan to coordinate State response to oil spills.
• Required the plan have
• specified worse case scenarios
• nine elements

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Title 38 M.R.S.A. 546-A elements

• The designation of a state oil spill coordinator
  
• Definition of the roles of the department and
  others (Section 6)
• Definition of the State's role under the
  agreement between the US and Canada
• An inventory of oil spill response equipment
  (Appendix I)
• A listing of sources for qualified, trained spill
  responders (Appendix I)

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Title 38 M.R.S.A. 546-A Elements

• Preapproved criteria for dispersants,
  bioremediation and in-situ burning
• Identification of sensitive areas resources,
  and management strategies
• Identification of resources for wildlife
  rehabilitation (Section 9 Appendix II)
• Identification of facilities for disposal of oily
  debris and for separation, transport and storage
  of recovered oil (Appendix I).

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Since the original plan

• Appendix I, the equipment list, has been updated
  annually
• The body of the plan, available on the
  Departments web page, has not been substantially
  updated since the mid 90s.

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Today

• The plan has been reviewed and updated
• Looking for additional comments or suggestions
• This plan, dated August 2008, will completely
  replace the existing plan
• Appendix I, the equipment list, will keep the
  existing revision date.

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General Updates Include

• Numerous updates and edits including revision of
  names and phone numbers
• Updated National Incident Management (NIMS) and
  Incident Command (ICS) references

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General Updates Include

• Updated references to the Maine and New Hampshire
  Area Contingency Plan
• Streamlined Communications Section (Section 7.5)
• Revised information regarding Natural Resource
  Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDA).

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New Geographic Response Plans

• GRPs (Section 8.3.1)
• 4 plans / numerous individual Strategies
• Downeast
• Penobscot Bay
• Casco Bay
• New Hampshire and Southern Maine
• http//www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/emergspillresp/geogpl
  ans.htm

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New Environmental Vulnerability Index Maps

• EVIs (Section 8.3.2)
• Includes entire Maine coast with
• Marine geology
• Habitat information
• Nesting grounds
• http//www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/emergspillresp/evi/in
  tro.htm

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Oil Spill Priorities clearly identified

• First, protect human health, the safety of the
  Responders and the Public
• Stop the source of the discharge
• Contain, confine and recover product
• Protect sensitive areas as determined using the
  EVIs and GRPs
• Minimize economic impacts.

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A New Wildlife Rehabilitation Plan

• Inland Fisheries Wildlife (IFW) Section
• Section 9
• IFW specific Appendix II - references
• checklists
• forms
• wildlife hazing plan

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Completely Updated Worker Health and Safety
Section

• Section 12
• Generic Marine Site Safety Plan to be completed
  on site (Appendix III)
• objectives include hazard assessment
• levels of protection
• work zones

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New Gasoline Response Appendix

• Appendix V
• Due to additional hazards for Gasoline Spill
  Response
• From Maine and New Hampshire Area Plan 2000
  Gasoline Seminar

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New In-Situ Burning Memorandum of Understanding

• In 1999, a Region I In-Situ Burning Agreement was
  finalized
• Appendix VI contains
• The agreement
• An in-situ decision verification checklist
• Decision tree to be used to determine if burning
  is appropriate
• Also included in the Maine and New Hampshire Area
  Contingency Plan. 

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Dispersant Update

• Reference to the Maine and New Hampshire Area
  Contingency Plan with
• information regarding selection of dispersants,
• a Dispersant Pre-authorization Plan,
• a list of dispersant resources. 
• Possible future updates to section 7.4.2.2 or New
  Appendix VII

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What's Next

• Plan not perfect, but need to finalize at some
  point
• Few minor typos and edits still in process
• Looking for comments and suggestions
• Simple changes immediately
• Annual review process for more substantive
  comments.

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What's Next

• Spill world isnt stagnant
• References to National Contingency Plan need to
  be reviewed now that there is a new National
  Contingency Framework
• Maine New Hampshire Area Committee working on
  updated Area Plan
• Maine New Hampshire Area Committee scheduled
  review of in-situ and dispersants
• And???

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Comments, Questions, and Feedback

• Mary Corr
• 287-7752
• mary.a.corr_at_maine.gov