February 20, 2014

Community Engagement in Oil Spill Preparedness and Response
A Free Public Workshop

There is growing concern amongst residents of the Northwest Straits region of the Salish Sea about the growth of oil tanker and cargo ship traffic in the Straits. The Trans Mountain pipeline proposal by Kinder Morgan Canada would result in a dramatic increase in tanker traffic: from about 5 tankers a month currently to up to 34 tankers a month would carry oil from the Trans Mountain pipeline through Haro Strait and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Other proposed projects will further add to commercial marine traffic in the Straits, including another 487 cargo ships calling on the proposed Gateway Pacific coal export terminal near Bellingham each year. Many citizens are concerned about the implications of this increase in traffic, especially about the potential of a major oil spill. What will happen if a major oil spill occurs off the shores of Skagit County? How will it impact our shores? Who is in charge of spill response and what happens behind the scenes? What training do you need to be involved in the clean-up? These questions and others will be answered at an upcoming workshop on Community Engagement in Oil Spill Response and Readiness on Saturday, March 15, 2014. The workshop will be held at the Padilla Bay Estuarine Reserve in Bayview.

Local, state, and federal agency staff will describe their roles as a part of "Incident Command", how they plan for and make decisions during spills, and how they strive to protect valuable natural and community assets. Learn from the U.S. Coast Guard about the decisions they face when oil is spilled. Meet spill response managers from the Department of Ecology and Department of Fish and Wildlife, and hear about their roles in the event of a major oil spill. Hear from oil industry representatives about their role in spill response and from area Tribes about how they participate as co-managers of the marine environment. Learn about the challenges spill responders would face in dealing with a spill in our community and how you can help before, during, and after a spill.

To volunteer during an oil spill, you need to have received training ahead of time. Come learn about opportunities for volunteer training, including upcoming workshops on recovering and caring for oiled wildlife, and hazardous materials training necessary to be ready to help out on the beach. Please join us:

Saturday, March 15, 2014
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road
RSVP to Northwest Straits Foundation: lim@nwstraits.org; 360-733-1725

This event is sponsored by the Northwest Straits Foundation, the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, with funding support from the Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information, contact Robyn du Pré, Northwest Straits Foundation at 360-733-1725,dupre@nwstraits.org.