february 10, 2015 makah tribal council office of marine affairs the nature conservancy
TRANSCRIPT
Proposal for Trans-boundary Vessel Traffic Safety Summit
Managing the risk of oil spills from increasing ship traffic in the Puget Sound Region
February 10, 2015
Makah Tribal Council Office of Marine AffairsThe Nature Conservancy
Vessel Traffic in Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters
Approximately 10,000 deep draft vessels transit the Strait of Juan de Fuca annually
Vessel traffic is managed via a joint U.S. and Canadian Cooperative Vessel Traffic Service (CVTS)
Several proposed port expansions and changes to exports will increase the amount of vessel traffic and volume of oil moving through the region
AP photo / Leonel Mallari
Vancouver, B.C. 1. Kinder Morgan 2. Delta Port
3. Gateway Terminal
Update – funded by Makah Tribal CouncilUpdated 2005 VTRA
which examined just BP Cherry Point expansion
Uses 2010 VTOSS data and validates model using independent AIS data
Comparison of 2005 to 2010 traffic levels and geographic distributions
Future Scenario Analysis – funded by PSPHow does risk change if
the Gateway Terminal, Trans-Mountain Pipeline, or Delta Port terminals are built or expanded
Changes to risk include potential for accidents and potential for oil spill loss
How do different Risk Management Scenarios mitigate the increased risk
2010 Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment
VTRA ResultsIf Trans Mountain, Delta Port, and Gateway are completed:
Figure 8 from 2010 VTRA showing comparison of potential oil outflow by waterway zone.
Increases in:Tank and Cargo vessel
traffic by 25% over the next decade
The potential frequency of accidents by 18%
potential oil loss by 68%
The increase in oil spill risk is unevenly distributed geographically3x greater in Haro
Strait and at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Vessel Safety Summit• Bring appropriate federal, state, provincial, tribal
and first nations, and industry representatives from both sides of the U.S. and Canadian border to the table and facilitate discussion of how to best address these issues
• Discuss changing risks within the system and how to mitigate them
• Build upon existing response agreements, coordinating bodies, and navigational treaties
• Use a collaborative approach to identify areas in need of improvement including prevention, preparedness, and response
Strategies
• Provide a regional solution that works on both sides of the border
• Build on existing framework using collaboration and avoid duplicating efforts
• Reduce risks with mitigating behaviors to avoid response costs
• Use data to prioritize gaps so improvements can be approached in a logical, stepwise manner
• Explore new ideas for a durable funding mechanism
Potential Outcomes - Risk• Risk reduction through mitigating
behaviors – regulatory and voluntary• Focus on safety
• Comprehensive approach : prevention, preparedness, response, and mitigation
• Keep modeled oil spill risk at 2010 levels
• Common view of risk • Use the language of the 2010 VTRA to
characterize risk
Potential Outcomes - Collaboration
• A trans-boundary contingency response plan governed by joint incident command
• Improved system for sharing information for risk assessment, preparedness planning, and response• Better science on resources at risk• Spill behavior predictive capability, knowledge on
how new products behave• Industry disclosure of data important to responders
• Appropriate agencies are identified to implement identified solutions
• Durable public/private finance mechanisms to establish and maintain improvements
Potential Outcomes - Response
• Rationalized approach positioning response assets based on risk assessment and best available science
• Cross-border parity in response assets and preparedness
• Fine resolution response plans focused on training and mobilizing community-based responses in remote areas
Timeline and Next StepsScoping
Jan. – June 2015
PlanningJune
2015 – Mar. 2016
Summit hosted April 2016
Follow-up Apr.
2016 – Apr. 2017
Letters of IntentFunding sourcesEstablish leadership
structureInitial meetings
ConvenersFederal, state,
and tribal elected
government officials
Steering Committee
State and federal spill
response, safety groups ; tribal, industry, and
environmental representatives
Executive Committee
Leaders of existing
agencies and groups
Key Participants
Leadership Structure
The Role of the RRTA letter of intent endorsing the
summit conceptContribute members to the executive
and steering committeesContribute your knowledge to the
response portion of the effort
Questions?