WSR 19-16-147
PROPOSED RULES
DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY
[Order 18-10—Filed August 7, 2019, 8:56 a.m.]
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 19-02-085.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: Ecology is proposing to amend the oil spill contingency plan rule (chapter 173-182 WAC). This chapter requires regulated vessels, facilities, and pipelines that handle or transport oil to have an approved plan in place for responding to oil spills. Oil spill contingency plans include information about how to make notifications and contract for the appropriate equipment and trained personnel to respond to spills that may occur.
Hearing Location(s): On Tuesday, September 17, 2019, at 1:00 p.m., at the Courtyard Seattle-Everett Downtown, 3003 Colby Avenue, Everett, WA 98201, presentation, question and answer session followed by the hearing; on Thursday, September 19, 2019, at 1:00 p.m., at the Ramada by Wyndham Spokane Airport, 8909 West Airport Drive, Spokane, WA 99224, presentation, question and answer session followed by the hearing; and on Tuesday, September 24, 2019, at 1:00 p.m., webinar and in-person at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, 301 West 6th Street, Vancouver, WA 98660, presentation, question and answer session followed by the hearing. We are also holding this hearing via webinar. This is an online meeting that you can attend from any computer using internet access. Join online and see instructions https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/424089589, for audio, call United States toll number 1-646-749-3122 and enter access code 424089589, or to receive a free call back, provide your phone number when you join the event online.
Date of Intended Adoption: December 18, 2019.
Submit Written Comments to: Sonja Larson, Department of Ecology, Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, submit comments by mail, online, or at the hearing(s), online http://cs.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=V6ATc, by October 6, 2019.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact ecology's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator, phone 360-407-6831, people with speech disability may call TTY at 877-833-6341, people with impaired hearing may call Washington relay service at 711, email ecyADAcoordinator@ecy.wa.gov, by September 15, 2019.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: Ecology is proposing to amend the oil spill contingency plan rule (chapter 173-182 WAC) to implement E2SSB 6269 passed in chapter 262, Laws of 2018, amending chapters
82.23B, 88.46, and
90.56 RCW. This rule making will:
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• | Establish requirements for review and approval of spill management teams (SMT) including entities providing wildlife rehabilitation and recovery services. |
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• | Enhance requirements for readiness for spills of oils that, depending on their chemical properties, environmental factors (weathering), and method of discharge, may submerge or sink. |
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• | Update drill requirements to reflect legislative direction. |
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• | Update planning standards to align vessel and facility requirements and ensure best achievable protection is maintained in contingency plans. |
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• | Enhance planning standards for oiled wildlife response. |
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• | Make other edits to address inconsistent or unclear direction in the rule, or other administrative edits. |
Reasons Supporting Proposal: Rule revisions are needed to address legislative direction that came out of the 2018 session that requires a rule update by December 31, 2019. Legislative direction from E2SSB 6269 directed ecology to update our contingency plan rule to enhance preparedness for spills of nonfloating oils, require facilities to participate in large scale multiplan holder drills, and require SMTs to apply to and be approved by ecology in order to be cited in contingency plans.
Statute Being Implemented: RCW
90.56.210 Contingency plans.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: Department of ecology, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Sonja Larson, Department of Ecology, Lacey, Washington, 360-407-6682; Implementation and Enforcement: Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, Department of Ecology, Lacey, Washington, 360-407-7447.
A school district fiscal impact statement is not required under RCW
28A.305.135.
A cost-benefit analysis is required under RCW
34.05.328. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis may be obtained by contacting Sonja Larson, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone 360-407-6682, people with speech disability may call TTY at 877-833-6341, people with impaired hearing may call Washington relay service at 711, to request ADA accommodation for disabilities, or printed materials in a format for the visually impaired, call ecology at 360-407-6831 or visit
https://ecology.wa.gov/accessibility, email
sonja.larson@ecy.wa.gov.
The proposed rule does impose more-than-minor costs on businesses.
Small Business Economic Impact Statement(SBEIS)
This SBEIS presents the:
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• | Compliance requirements of the proposed rule. |
• | Results of the analysis of relative compliance cost burden. |
• | Consideration of lost sales or revenue. |
• | Cost-mitigating action taken by ecology, if required. |
• | Small business and local government consultation. |
• | Industries likely impacted by the proposed rule. |
• | Expected net impact on jobs statewide. |
A small business is defined by the Regulatory Fairness Act (RFA) (chapter
19.85 RCW) as having fifty or fewer employees. Estimated costs are determined as compared to the existing regulatory environment, the regulations in the absence of the rule. The SBEIS only considers costs to "businesses in an industry" in Washington state. This means that impacts, for this document, are not evaluated for nonprofit or government agencies.
The existing regulatory environment is called the "baseline" in this document. It includes only existing laws and rules at federal and state levels.
This information is excerpted from ecology's complete set of regulatory analyses of the proposed rule. For complete discussion of the likely costs, benefits, minimum compliance burden, and relative burden on small businesses, see the Regulatory Analyses (Ecology publication no. 19-08-017, July 2019).
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROPOSED RULE, INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Baseline: The baseline for our analyses generally consists of existing rules and laws, and their requirements. This is what allows us to make a consistent comparison between the state of the world with and without the proposed rule amendments.
For this proposed rule making, the baseline includes (but is not limited to):
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• | The existing rule, chapter 173-182 WAC, Oil spill contingency plan. |
• | The authorizing laws: |
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º | Chapter 88.46 RCW, Vessel oil spill prevention and response. |
º | Chapter 90.48 RCW, Water pollution control. |
º | Chapter 90.56 RCW, Oil and hazardous substance spill prevention and response. |
º | ESSB 6269, amending chapters 82.23B, 88.46, and 90.56 RCW. Relevant amendments primarily relate to planning for spills of potentially sinking oils. |
Proposed rule amendments
Part I: Purpose, applicability, authority, and definitions.
Purpose, applicability, and definitions: The proposed amendments add SMTs and wildlife response service providers (WRSP) to the purpose and applicability of the rule. They also add corresponding definitions of SMT and WRSP.
Expected impact: In and of themselves, the proposed amendments to this section do not have an impact. The impacts of including SMTs and WRSPs in the rule arise from various requirements set out in amendments to other sections of the rule, and are discussed in corresponding sections of this document.
Part II (A): General planning, information, and timing.
Phase-in of requirements: The proposed amendments replace baseline phase-in timing of requirements with new phased-in timing for plan holders, SMTs, and WRSPs.
Expected impact:
Phasing in requirements would allow plan holders, SMTs, WRSPs, and primary response contractors (as relied upon to meet planning requirements) additional time to meet new or altered requirements in the proposed amendments, compared to immediate compliance at the effective date of the rule. We do not expect amendments to this section to result in costs, as compared to the baseline.
Part II (B): Contingency plan format and content.
Binding agreement plan submission and signatory requirements: The proposed amendments expand the binding agreement requirements to the plan submitter, who is not necessarily the plan holder as under the baseline. The signatory may be an authorized:
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• | Representative of a nonprofit corporation established to provide oil spill contingency plan coverage. |
• | Owner, operator, or a designee with authority to bind the owners and operators of the facilities or vessels covered by the plan. |
• | Resident agent of the vessel(s) submitting the plan. |
• | Representative(s) of a company contracted to the vessel or facility and approved by ecology to provide containment and clean-up services. |
Expected impact: These proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs. They would also result in benefits arising from more options in management of contingency plans, such as improved management of response, and potential reduced overall costs for plan holders that choose external plan submitters.
Plan general content: The proposed amendments expand contact information requirements for all plans to include relevant SMT or WRSP information. The phone numbers for primary response contractors (PRC), SMTs, or WRSPs must be one at which they can be reached twenty-four hours a day.
Expected impact: These proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs. They are also likely to result in improved efficiency of response, including certainty that PRCs, SMTs, and WRSPs are under contract and can be reached at any time.
Field document requirements: The proposed amendments add a form to the field document, to document notifications.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs, as well as the benefit of ensuring responders complete notifications and document them appropriately.
Listing of SMT personnel and timing: The proposed amendments require a table in the plan, listing personnel or the contracted SMT filling incident command system roles. Three people trained to fill each of the following roles:
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• | Responsible party incident commander. |
• | Public information officer. |
• | Liaison officer. |
• | Safety officer. |
• | Planning section chief. |
• | Operations section chief. |
• | Logistics section chief. |
• | Finance section chief. |
One person capable of filling each of the roles:
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• | Air operations branch director. |
• | Wildlife branch director. |
• | Situation unit leader. |
• | Resources unit leader. |
• | Documentation unit leader. |
• | Environmental unit leader. |
PRCs, SMTs, or WRSPs used to fill roles must have applications on file with the state, and be contracted. A person may fill up to two roles. Position and planning process descriptions in the incident management handbook may be referenced.
A combination of training and experience in drills and spills may be used to describe SMT personnel capabilities within response roles.
The plan must include a narrative description of estimated team arrival timeframes to the state.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments would likely result in additional costs, either to the plan holder for training additional internal staff, or in the form of contracting costs to retain an external SMT and WRSP. They are also likely to result in improved response efficiency, and less potential environmental, property, or human health damage.
Part II (C): Planning standards.
Potentially sinking oil planning standards: The proposed amendments delete planning standards for pipelines carrying crude oils or diluted bitumen, and expand the Group 5 planning standards to all plan holders handling or transporting oils that may weather and sink.
The plan holder or contracted PRC must have capable personnel and equipment to respond to a spill of these oils within the timeframes in the table below. The plan must also detail the process for identifying if the oil handled has the potential to submerge or sink and include a description of the process for detecting, delineating, and recovering nonfloating oils in the areas that may be impacted.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs, and potential costs of contracting with a PRC to meet the new required equipment and response capabilities. It is also likely to result in benefits from reduced potential damages to water column species and sediments, as well as reduced or avoided cleanup costs resulting from oils sinking.
Dispersant planning standards: The proposed amendments expand planning requirements to all plan holders carrying, handling, storing, or transporting Group 2, 3, or 4 persistent oils that are known to be dispersable.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs, as well as benefits related to appropriate use of dispersants by all plan holders and alignment with the northwest area contingency plan (NWACP) dispersant policy.
In situ burning planning standards: The proposed amendments add personal protective equipment to the list of equipment that must be at the locations listed in the plan. They also add personnel resources to the description of resources used to monitor equipment effectiveness.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs, as well as benefits related to preparedness for in situ burning for all oil types, and additional protection for personnel, and increased alignment with NWACP in situ burning policy.
Compliance documentation requirements: The proposed amendments remove the requirement to identify personnel by resource type, quantity, home base, and provider.
The proposed amendments add options for documentation supporting requests for alternative notification mobilization, and travel time, to include actual performance during drills or planned equipment moves. They also expand the situations under which alternate response times can be tested, to include training exercises and planned drills.
Expected impact: These proposed amendments are not likely to result in costs. Ecology provides plan holders with the spreadsheet that documents compliance. There are also likely benefits from removing some documentation requirements.
Transfer site planning standards: The proposed amendments add:
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• | A two hour planning standard for a safety assessment of the spill by trained crew and appropriate air monitoring, with one thousand feet of boom. |
• | A four hour planning standard for at least an additional two hundred feet of boom and temporary storage of at least one hundred ninety-six barrels with the ability to collect, contain, and separate collected oil from water. The additional boom should be capable of encountering oil at advancing speeds of at least two knots in waves. This boom shall be of a type appropriate for the operating environment. |
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in additional equipment costs or contracting costs (if current contracted PRC lacks required assets) and response benefits if plan holders do not have access to equipment that does not meet the proposed planning standards.
Part II (D): Response and protection for sensitive areas.
Descriptions of sensitive areas and protection: The proposed rule adds that identification of sensitive resources will not be limited to surface and shoreline species at risk from floating oil spills, but will also include water column and benthic species at risk from sunken, submerged, or nonfloating oil spills. Nonfloating oils considerations include identification of:
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• | Waterway depths. |
• | Water density. |
• | Sediment load. |
• | Sea floor or river bottom types. |
• | Response options based on those factors. |
Expected impact: Ecology will do this through a formal geographic response plan (GRP) update process. We therefore expect the proposed amendments to result in only minor plan update costs of ensuring the plan references the appropriate GRP(s), and identifying if the plan holder can appropriately deal with nonfloating oil spills. Likely benefits include more comprehensive preparedness for sunken, submerged, and nonfloating oils and increased stakeholder input on the resources at risk described in GRPs.
Shoreline sensitive areas planning standards: The proposed amendments remove the facility shoreline-planning standard, and include all plan holders under the shoreline-planning standard applied to only vessels under the baseline.
Expected impact: Ecology determined that the facility shoreline planning standard requirements in the baseline are insufficient. Therefore, a facility meeting the baseline standard is not likely to have a plan that would provide best achievable protection and would not be approved. Consequently, we do not expect significant costs or benefits from these proposed amendments, as an approvable plan would provide similar protection to what is required for vessels under the baseline. However, we do expect some benefit to come from making it more clear up-front what is necessary to include in the sensitive areas component of a plan so ecology can approve the plan.
Air monitoring for human protection planning standards: The proposed amendments apply the baseline requirements to all plan holders, instead of only pipelines.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs for plan holders other than pipelines (which already must meet the standard under the baseline). They are also likely to result in benefits of vessels and facilities planning for comprehensive protection for responders, at-risk populations, and nearby communities.
Wildlife planning standards: The proposed amendments replace the baseline requirements with a set of more specific requirements in planning to respond to and care for impacted or at-risk wildlife. This includes contact information for contracted PRCs or WRSPs that maintain the required equipment, personnel, permits, materials, and supplies, for conducting wildlife response operations. Plans must describe equipment, personnel, and resources including:
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• | Equipment and personnel for initial impact assessment and wildlife reconnaissance via air, land, or water in the spill area. |
• | Equipment and personnel for whale reconnaissance (if the plan holder operates or transits in areas where spills may impact whales). |
• | Contact information for providers of aircraft for reconnaissance and deterrence of whales, including southern resident killer whales. |
• | Contact information for persons or organizations that can identify southern resident killer whales and support field reconnaissance activities. |
• | Equipment and personnel for deterring wildlife in areas the plan holder operates or transits. |
• | Equipment and personnel for monitoring and deterrence of southern resident killer whales. |
• | Equipment and supplies for mobile field stabilization activities. |
• | Wildlife rehabilitation facilities, space, and equipment suitable to conduct wildlife rehabilitation activities, sufficient to meet Washington department of fish and wildlife requirements in WAC 220-450-100. Plan holders must have contracted access to (within twenty-four hour distance) specified equipment. |
Plan holders must have contracted access to a WRSP with:
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• | Personnel that are appropriately trained to staff and manage the wildlife response within an incident command structure. At least one person must be able to arrive in state within twelve hours of spill notification. |
• | Personnel to conduct and manage field aspects of a wildlife response including impact assessment, reconnaissance, deterrence, capture, stabilization, and rehabilitation. At least two people must be able to arrive within twelve hours of spill notification. An additional seven support personnel must be able to arrive within twenty-four hours of spill notification. |
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in plan update costs, as well as the costs of meeting the planning standard by acquiring access to resources (either through purchase or contract with a WRSP). They are also likely to result in benefits of significantly improved and coordinated response to oiled wildlife, resulting in potential reduced mortality and illness in affected animal populations, including threatened and endangered populations.
Part II (E): Plan evaluation.
Plan evaluation requirements: The proposed amendments limit resources that may be counted toward planning standards to those held by PRCs, the plan holder, or via contract, mutual aid agreement, or letter of intent.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in minor plan update costs, as well as the benefit of having contractual obligations for required resources included in plans.
Five-year review cycle contents: The proposed amendments add to the list of spills operations, tools, and technologies, by including improvements in equipment and techniques used for wildlife response.
Expected impact: We do not expect this proposed amendment to result in immediate costs, as future improvements in equipment and techniques used for wildlife response are unknown. If and when those improved tools become available, there may be future purchasing or contract costs, and wildlife benefits associated with new requirements.
Notice requirements: The proposed amendments add a requirement for SMT and WRSP applications to undergo public notice, review, and comment periods.
Expected impact: Under the baseline, it is not possible to be an approved SMT or WRSP. We anticipate those who want to become approved SMTs and WRSPs will do so when there is a net benefit to them, including costs associated with application notice, review, and comment periods. Additionally, the prices they charge for services are likely to reflect these setup costs for approval under the proposed amendments. The proposed amendments are also likely to result in benefits of sufficient public review of potential personnel, structures, and assets used to respond to spills, helping determine whether they meet environmental, property, and public health protection standards held by the public.
Part III: Drill and equipment verification program.
Drill participation requirements: The proposed amendments add SMTs and WRSPs to the parties required to participate plan holder drills and equipment verification programs.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in personnel and equipment costs to SMTs and WRSPs. If these resources are held through contract, these costs are likely to be passed on to plan holders as part of retainer fees for contracts with SMTs and WRSPs. The proposed amendments are also likely to result in benefits of SMTs and WRSPs having experience with drills and having their processes tested to ensure they are sufficiently effective and protective.
Drill type and frequency requirements: The proposed amendments change attributes of the baseline drills:
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• | Tabletop drills also include SMTs. |
• | Ecology-initiated unannounced drills may include verification of Ecology-approved alternative vessel speeds. |
• | Credit for emergency response towing vessel (ERTV) deployment drills may be achieved for an emergency call-out of the ERTV. |
• | Wildlife deployment drills must be separate drills. |
• | The tank vessel multiplan holder deployment drill is expanded to the multiplan holder large-scale equipment deployment drill. This drill must still be performed once in each three-year cycle, and may additionally involve responses to potentially nonfloating oils. It may address spills of potentially nonfloating oils, and southern resident killer whales monitoring and deterrence. This drill must be scheduled at least ninety days in advance. |
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in additional costs of drills, for additional response involving SMTs, or personnel and equipment for response to threatened wildlife or nonfloating oils. In the multiplan holder deployment drill, plan holders share costs rather than incur them individually. By including these elements in drills, the proposed amendments are likely to result in benefits of effective and more-practiced and efficient response related to wildlife and nonfloating oils, and in general.
Including approved alternative vessel speeds in drills ensures that those speeds are appropriate, and can confirm the alternative vessel speeds requested by plan holders.
Allowing credit for ERTV deployment for an emergency call-out of the ERTV reduces drill costs for plan holders. In lieu of conducting a drill the entity that manages the ERTV submits an after action report on behalf of all vessel plan holders.
Drill credit allowance: The proposed amendments limit how often a plan holder can use drill credits earned from response to an actual spill to once per three year cycle, but allows plan holders to request credit for additional spill response. Ecology may grant additional credit to the plan holder if lessons were learned or key response components were successfully demonstrated.
Expected impact: We do not expect the proposed amendments to result in significant costs or benefits, since they establish a limit of using a spill for credit to once per three year cycle, but allow extension beyond it under certain circumstances. We consider this a clarification.
Part IV: Primary response contractor, SMT, and WRSP standards.
PRC application and application-revision requirements: The proposed amendments specify that safety training must include a determination that response equipment and personal protective equipment are appropriate for incident conditions.
Expected impact: This proposed amendment is primarily a clarification, since the baseline states that training must include determination that equipment is appropriate for conditions. Beyond improved clarity, we do not expect this proposed amendment to result in significant costs or benefits.
SMT and WRSP application and application-revision requirements: The proposed amendments add requirements and processes for SMT or WRSP applications, and changes to those applications, to become state-approved.
Expected impact: The proposed amendments are likely to result in application costs for SMTs and WRSPs, as well as benefits of ensuring that approved SMTs and WRSPs are capable of providing appropriate services and equipment to meet planning standards when they are under contract to plan holders.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE: EQUIPMENT.
Transfer site planning standard: The proposed amendments are likely to result in additional equipment costs or contracting costs and response benefits if plan holders do not have access to equipment that does not meet the proposed planning standards. Based on identified equipment availability, one transfer site and one planning area do not meet the four-hour planning standard.
Access to the required additional two hundred feet of boom and temporary storage of at least one ninety-six barrels could be acquired through an existing PRC contract (if applicable), additional PRC contracting, or purchase. Purchase would likely be the most costly approach, and we expect plan holders will choose the least-cost approach. Depending on the types of equipment chosen, this could cost between $80 thousand and $250 thousand. Acquisition of an NOFI Current Buster 2 system, for example, could cost $152 thousand.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE: SUPPLIES.
Compliance with the proposed rule, compared to the baseline, is not likely to impose additional costs of supplies.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE: LABOR.
Application costs: SMTs and WRSPs would incur expenditures related to updating their applications with ecology. We reached out to SMTs and WRSPs for input on costs, but did not receive responses in time for this preliminary analysis. As an estimate, we assumed applications take a general and operations manager sixteen hours. At the median wage in Washington of $60.63, this proposed amendment would result in a one time cost of $970. For the identified forty-six potential SMTs and four WRSPs, this total cost would be $49 thousand.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
Plan update costs: Ecology anticipates that plan holders will incur costs for updates to their oil spill contingency plans. Costs for updates vary based on the risk and complexity of the covered parties operations.
Based on conversations with planning consultants currently working with Washington plan holders, we estimate the high-end range of plan update costs to be between $40 thousand and $55 thousand each. This cost range reflects two senior-level planners and between two and three months of work. Expenditures and time consumed are likely to be significantly less for covered parties with capacity to make plan updates in-house.
If all thirty-two contingency plans need to be updated, at a cost of between $40 thousand and $55 thousand each, this translates to a total one time cost of between $1.3 million and $1.8 million.
Internal or retainer costs: Plan holders would incur additional costs for training additional internal spill management staff, or retaining contracts with SMTs and WSRPs under the updated planning standards. We assume plan holders will choose the least-cost option that meets their planning and spill response needs. Currently, very few plan holders have retainer contracts with WRSPs.
Retainer fees are typically levied at a company-wide level (rather than by specific facility) and vary widely among plan holders. Retainer fees are highly variable, ranging between $500 annually for the smallest, least complex plan holders, to over $1.5 million annually for multinational plan holders with complex operations.
Drill costs: The proposed rule includes additional requirements related to drills that will likely result in personnel and equipment costs to SMTs and WRSPs.
High-end costs for drills could range between $800 thousand and $1.2 million. Tabletop drills typically last for less than two days and cost between $10 thousand and $100 thousand.
Since the proposed amendments require that large-scale multiplan holder drills may include deployment of equipment used to respond to nonfloating oils, we assumed this annual (one per year in one of the three regions, each three year cycle) drill would double in cost.
The proposed language would require separate wildlife-focused drills. This may result in additional expenses of up to $30 thousand per drill.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE: ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
Where applicable, ecology estimates administrative costs (overhead) as part of the cost of labor and professional services, above.
COMPARISON OF COMPLIANCE COST FOR SMALL VERSUS LARGE BUSINESSES.
Ecology calculated the estimated per-entity costs to comply with the proposed rule amendments, based on the costs estimated in Chapter 3. In this section, ecology summarizes compliance cost per employee at affected businesses of different sizes.
Separating across various types of potentially impacted parties (using employment at the highest ownership level):
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• | There are no small business plan holders covered by the proposed amendments. |
• | The average small business PRC employs about sixteen people, while the largest ten percent employs ten thousand people. |
• | The average small business SMT employs about ten people, while the largest ten percent employs ten thousand people. |
• | Only one private business WRSP is potentially impacted by the proposed amendments. |
We note that aside from application and application-revision related costs, the proposed amendments require only plan holders to have or have access to assets and personnel. The costs of assets that may need to be acquired, therefore, fall on the plan holders, even if access is acquired through contract with a SMT, PRC, or WRSP. Contracted parties providing personnel or response equipment are likely to pass voluntary costs (to be able to act as contracted parties for contingency plans) on to plan holders with whom they contract.
Therefore, for the purposes of RFA compliance, and to better reflect compliance cost burden in a competitive context, we have limited the costs examined for the remainder of this chapter to application costs incurred by SMTs. Again, this is because:
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• | Likely compliance costs differ by multiple orders of magnitude across the related, though not intercompetitive, markets affected by the proposed amendments. |
• | While plan holders are likely to incur significant costs as a result of the proposed amendments, there are no small business plan holders covered by the proposed amendments. |
• | There are no direct costs to PRCs as a result of the proposed amendments. |
• | Only one potentially impacted WRSP is a private business, so costs are inherently not disproportionate for WRSPs. |
Business size | Average Employment | Cost per employee |
Low | High |
Small business | 10 | $97.01 | $242.52 |
Largest 10 percent of businesses | 10000 | $0.10 | $0.24 |
We conclude that the proposed rule amendments are likely to have disproportionate impacts on small businesses within the SMT industry. This is the case even if we assume that small businesses would have less equipment and personnel to document or describe in applications, and would incur only low-end costs for less time, while the largest businesses incurred only high-end costs.
Therefore, ecology must include elements in the proposed rule amendments to mitigate this disproportion, as far as is legal and feasible.
CONSIDERATION OF LOST SALES OR REVENUE:Businesses that would incur costs could experience reduced sales or revenues if the amendments would significantly affect the prices of the goods they sell. The degree to which this could happen is strongly related to each business's production and pricing model (whether additional lump-sum costs significantly affect marginal costs), and the specific attributes of the markets in which they sell goods, including the degree of influence of each firm on market prices, as well as the relative responsiveness of market demand to price changes.
We used the REMI PI+ model for Washington state to estimate the impact of the proposed rule on directly affected markets, accounting for dynamic adjustments throughout the economy. The model accounts for: Interindustry impacts; price, wage, and population changes; and dynamic adjustment of all economic variables over time. This analysis was limited to the SMT industries likely to be disproportionately affected by the proposed rule, as well as the WRSP industries including a single private small business. We assumed application expenditures would be incurred as production costs, as part of normal business operations.
Since we did not have comprehensive data for all potentially impacted SMTs and WRSPs, we ran forty-two simulations reflecting possible combinations of identified SMT and WRSP NAICS codes (at the level the REMI model aggregates them). The REMI model results do not indicate a significant impact to output or prices as a result of these production costs in any of the model runs. As such, we do not expect there to be any losses of sales or revenue in the SMT or WRSP industries as a result of the proposed amendments.
MITIGATION OF DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT:The RFA (RCW
19.85.030(2)) states that:
"Based upon the extent of disproportionate impact on small business identified in the statement prepared under RCW
19.85.040, the agency shall, where legal and feasible in meeting the stated objectives of the statutes upon which the rule is based, reduce the costs imposed by the rule on small businesses. The agency must consider, without limitation, each of the following methods of reducing the impact of the proposed rule on small businesses:
(a) Reducing, modifying, or eliminating substantive regulatory requirements;
(b) Simplifying, reducing, or eliminating recordkeeping and reporting requirements;
(c) Reducing the frequency of inspections;
(d) Delaying compliance timetables;
(e) Reducing or modifying fine schedules for noncompliance; or
(f) Any other mitigation techniques including those suggested by small businesses or small business advocates."
Ecology considered all of the above options, and included the following legal and feasible elements in the proposed rule amendments that reduce costs. In addition, ecology considered the alternative rule contents discussed in Chapter 6, and excluded those elements that would have imposed excess compliance burden on businesses. This includes elements suggested by stakeholders, such as allowing plan holders to list either individuals or names of SMTs in the IRC table. See Chapter 6 for discussion.
Since the disproportionate compliance cost impact arises from application costs for SMTs, we were limited in options to reduce this disproportion. We were also limited numerically by the diverse nature of SMTs, with one SMT identified as a small business (within our employment data), while others were owned by larger, sometimes multinational, companies.
The options suggested in the RFA rely primarily on factors that are not applicable to application costs. These include substantive regulatory requirements, recordkeeping and reporting, and inspections. The proposed amendments do, however, phase in application time for SMTs, by allowing six months from the rule effective date.
SMALL BUSINESS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION:Ecology involved small businesses and local government in its development of the proposed rule amendments, using:
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• | Letters to tribes (mailing). |
• | Spills program listserv (email announcement of CR-101). |
• | WAC track listserv (email announcement of CR-101). |
• | Email to state-approved vessel and facility plan holders. |
• | Rule-development workshops with one hundred sixty stakeholders invited (March 6, March 28, April 11, April 18, and May 7). Invitees attending at least one workshop included representatives from various covered parties, SMTs, WRSPs, PRCs, governments, tribes, animal welfare groups, and environmental groups. |
• | Email to state approved PRCs. |
• | NWACP distribution listserv. |
• | Direct email or other contact with representatives from over one hundred thirty interested parties, including covered parties, SMTs, WRSPs, PRCs, governments, tribes, and environmental groups. |
NAICS CODES OF INDUSTRIES IMPACTED BY THE PROPOSED RULE: The proposed rule is likely to impact the following NAICS codes. 2212, 2389, 2371, 5419, 2389, 4481, 3241, 6113, 3241, 5417, 4412, 8133, 3366, 5615, 4832, 4247, 5617, 4861, 4471, 5619, 4882, 4821, 5629, 4883, 4861, 8113, 5629, 4883, 9261, 5629, 9999, 9281, 9119, 9999.
IMPACT ON JOBS: Ecology used the REMI PI+ model for Washington state to estimate the impact of the proposed rule on jobs in the state, accounting for dynamic adjustments throughout the economy. The model accounts for: Interindustry impacts; price, wage, and population changes; and dynamic adjustment of all economic variables over time.
We used the REMI PI+ model for Washington state to estimate the impact of the proposed rule on directly affected markets, accounting for dynamic adjustments throughout the economy. The model accounts for: Interindustry impacts; price, wage, and population changes; and dynamic adjustment of all economic variables over time. This analysis was limited to SMT industries likely to be disproportionately affected by the proposed rule, as well as WRSP industries including a single private small business. We assumed application expenditures would be incurred as production costs, as part of normal business operations.
Since we did not have comprehensive data for all potentially impacted SMTs and WRSPs, we ran forty-two simulations reflecting possible combinations of identified SMT and WRSP NAICS codes (at the level the REMI model aggregates them). The REMI model results indicated that the proposed amendments would result in:
| |
• | Up to one job lost in 2020 in the Washington economy under low-cost assumptions. This lost job would be maintained through 2022, after which there would be no difference in employment from the baseline forecast. |
• | Under high-cost assumptions, up to 3 jobs in the Washington economy would be lost in 2020, and this job loss would diminish to zero in 2023, after which there would be no difference in employment from the baseline forecast. |
These prospective changes in overall employment in the state are the sum of multiple small increases and decreases across all industries in the state.
A copy of the statement may be obtained by contacting Sonja Larson, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone 360-407-6682, people with speech disability may call TTY at 877-833-6341, people with impaired hearing may call Washington relay service at 711, to request ADA accommodation for disabilities, or printed materials in a format for the visually impaired, call ecology at 360-407-6831 or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/accessibility, email sonja.larson@ecy.wa.gov.
August 5, 2019
Polly Zehm
Deputy Director
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-010Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to establish covered vessel and facility oil spill contingency plan requirements (Part II), drill and equipment verification requirements (Part III), primary response contractor, spill management team, and wildlife response service provider standards (Part IV), and recordkeeping and compliance information (Part V).
(1) The provisions of this chapter, when followed, should be implemented and construed so that they will:
(a) Maximize the effectiveness and timeliness of oil spill response by plan holders, spill management teams, wildlife response service providers, and primary response contractors;
(b) Ensure continual readiness, maintenance of equipment and training of personnel;
(c) Support coordination with state, federal, tribal and other contingency planning efforts;
(d) Provide for the protection of Washington waters, natural, cultural and significant economic resources by minimizing the impact of oil spills; and
(e) Provide the highest level of protection that can be met through the use of best achievable technology and those staffing levels, training procedures, and operational methods that constitute best achievable protection (BAP) as informed by the BAP five year review cycle (WAC 173-182-621) and as determined by ecology.
(2) The planning standards described in this chapter do not constitute clean-up standards that must be met by the holder of a contingency plan. Failure to remove a discharge within the time periods set out in this chapter does not constitute failure to comply with a contingency plan, for purposes of this chapter or for the purpose of imposing administrative, civil, or criminal penalties under any other law so that all reasonable efforts are made to do so. In a spill or drill, deployment of equipment and personnel shall be guided by safety considerations. The responsible party must take all actions necessary and appropriate to immediately collect and remove, contain, treat, burn and disperse oil entering waters of the state and address the entire volume of an actual spill regardless of the planning standards.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-015Applicability.
(1) This chapter applies to owners and operators of onshore facilities, offshore facilities, and covered vessels required to submit oil spill contingency plans under chapters
90.56 and
88.46 RCW.
(2) This chapter applies to any person submitting a contingency plan on behalf of a covered vessel, multiple covered vessels, onshore facilities and offshore facilities, or any combination thereof.
(3) This chapter applies to response contractors that must be approved by ecology before they may serve as primary response contractors (PRCs) for a contingency plan.
(4) This chapter applies to spill management teams (SMTs) that must be approved by ecology as SMTs for a contingency plan.
(5) This chapter applies to wildlife response service providers (WRSPs) that must be approved by ecology as wildlife response service providers for a contingency plan.
(6) This chapter does not apply to public vessels as defined by this chapter, mobile facilities or to spill response vessels that are exclusively dedicated to spill response activities when operating on the waters of this state.
((
(5)))
(7) Railroads are facilities for the purposes of contingency planning under RCW
90.56.210. Railroad contingency planning regulations are described in chapter 173-186 WAC.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-020Authority.
RCW
88.46.060,
88.46.0601, 88.46.068, 88.46.070,
88.46.080,
88.46.090,
88.46.100,
88.46.120,
88.46.160,
90.48.080,
90.56.050,
90.56.060,
90.56.210,
90.56.2101, 90.56.240,
90.56.270,
90.56.275, 90.56.280,
90.56.310,
90.56.320,
90.56.340, and chapter 316, Laws of 2006, provide statutory authority for the contingency plan preparation and review requirements, drill and response contractor standards established by this chapter for onshore and offshore facilities and covered vessels.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-030Definitions.
(1) "Aerial observer" means a trained observer that monitors, records and reports the spill characteristics including the shoreline impacts, area oiled, color, and thickness of the oil. Observers also provide data to the command post through the development of detailed maps of the area oiled and the resources in the field as well as other photographs, videos, or documents developed to support planning.
(2) "Aerial oil spill spotter" (spotter) means personnel trained to:
(a) Direct vessels to the heaviest concentrations of oil;
(b) Direct dispersant resources;
(c) Direct in situ burn resources; and
(d) Observe, document and report the effectiveness of response operations.
(3) "Best achievable protection" means the highest level of protection that can be achieved through the use of the best achievable technology and those staffing levels, training procedures, and operational methods that provide the greatest degree of protection achievable. Ecology's determination of best achievable protection shall be guided by the critical need to protect the state's natural resources and waters, while considering:
(a) The additional protection provided by the measures;
(b) The technological achievability of the measures; and
(c) The cost of the measures.
(4) "Best achievable technology" means the technology that provides the greatest degree of protection. Ecology's determination of best achievable technology will take into consideration:
(a) Processes that are being developed, or could feasibly be developed, given overall reasonable expenditures on research and development;
(b) Processes that are currently in use; and
(c) In determining what is best achievable technology, ecology shall consider the effectiveness, engineering feasibility, and the commercial availability of the technology.
(5) "Boom" means flotation boom or other effective barrier containment material suitable for containment, protection or recovery of oil that is discharged onto the surface of the water. Boom also includes the associated support equipment necessary for rapid deployment and anchoring appropriate for the operating environment. Boom will be classified using criteria found in the ASTM International F 1523-94 (((2007))2013) and ASTM International ((F 625-94 (reapproved 2006)))ASTM F265/F625M-94 (2017), and the Resource Typing Guidelines found in the ((Western))Worldwide Response Resource List (WRRL) user manual.
(6) "Bulk" means material that is stored or transported in a loose, unpackaged liquid, powder, or granular form capable of being conveyed by a pipe, bucket, chute, or belt system.
(7) "Cargo vessel" means a self-propelled ship in commerce, other than a tank vessel or a passenger vessel, three hundred or more gross tons((,)) including, but not limited to, commercial fish processing vessels and freighters.
(8) "Cascade" means to bring in equipment and personnel to the spill location in a succession of stages, processes, operations, or units.
(9) "Contract or letter summarizing contract terms" means:
(a) A written contract between a plan holder and a primary response contractor, spill management team, wildlife response service provider, or other provider, or proof of cooperative membership that identifies and ensures the availability of specified personnel and equipment within stipulated planning standard times; or
(b) A letter that summarizes the contract terms: Identifies personnel, equipment and services capable of being provided by the primary response contractor, spill management team, wildlife response service provider, or other provider, within stipulated planning standard times; acknowledges that the primary response contractor or other provider commits the identified resources in the event of an oil spill.
(10) "Control point" means a location along the pipeline, or rail line, pre-identified as an initial control or containment strategy to minimize impacts of spilled oil. The objective of a control point may be to contain, collect, divert or exclude oil from further impacting sensitive environmental, economic or cultural resources. Control points are designed and maintained by plan holders.
(11) "Covered vessel" means a tank vessel, cargo vessel (including fishing and freight vessels), or passenger vessel required to participate in this chapter.
(((11)))(12) "Dedicated" means equipment and personnel committed to oil spill response, containment, and cleanup that are not used for any other activity that would make it difficult or impossible for that equipment and personnel to provide oil spill response services in the time frames specified in this chapter.
(((12)))(13) "Demise charter" means that the owner gives possession of the ship to the charterer and the charterer hires its own master and crew.
(((13)))(14) "Director" means the director of the state of Washington department of ecology.
(((14)))(15) "Discharge" means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping.
(((15)))(16) "Dispersant" means those chemical agents that emulsify, disperse, or solubilize oil into the water column or promote the surface spreading of oil slicks to facilitate dispersal of the oil into the water column.
(((16)))(17) "Ecology" means the state of Washington department of ecology.
(((17)))(18) "Effective daily recovery capacity((")) (EDRC)" means the calculated capacity of oil recovery devices that accounts for limiting factors such as daylight, weather, sea state, and emulsified oil in the recovered material.
(((18)))(19) "Emergency response towing vessel" means a towing vessel stationed at Neah Bay that is available to respond to vessel emergencies upon call out under the contingency plan. The emergency response towing vessel shall be available to the owner or operator of the covered vessel transiting to or from a Washington port through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, except for transits extending no further west than Race Rocks Light, Vancouver Island, Canada.
(((19)))(20) "Facility" means:
(a) Any structure, group of structures, equipment, pipeline, or device, other than a vessel, located on or near the navigable waters of the state that transfers oil in bulk to or from a tank vessel or pipeline, that is used for producing, storing, handling, transferring, processing, or transporting oil in bulk.
(b) For the purposes of oil spill contingency planning in RCW
90.56.210, facility also means a railroad that is not owned by the state that transports oil as bulk cargo.
(c) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a facility does not include any:
(i) Railroad car, motor vehicle, or other rolling stock while transporting oil over the highways or rail lines of this state;
(ii) Underground storage tank regulated by ecology or a local government under chapter
90.76 RCW;
(iii) Motor vehicle motor fuel outlet;
(iv) Facility that is operated as part of an exempt agricultural activity as provided in RCW
82.04.330; or
(v) Marine fuel outlet that does not dispense more than three thousand gallons of fuel to a ship that is not a covered vessel, in a single transaction.
(((20)))(21) "Geographic Response Plans (GRP)" means response strategies published in the Northwest Area Contingency Plan.
(((21)))(22) "Gross tons" means a vessel's approximate volume as defined under Title 46, United States Code of Federal Regulations, Part 69.
(((22)))(23) "Incident command system (ICS)" means a standardized on-scene emergency management system specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
(((23)))(24) "In situ burn" means a spill response tactic involving controlled on-site burning, with the aid of a specially designed fire containment boom and igniters.
(((24)))(25) "Interim storage" means a site used to temporarily store recovered oil or oily waste until the recovered oil or oily waste is disposed of at a permanent disposal site.
(((25)))(26) "Lower Columbia River" means the Columbia River waters west of Bonneville Dam.
(((26)))(27) "Maximum extent practicable" means the highest level of effectiveness that can be achieved through staffing levels, training procedures, deployment and tabletop drills incorporating lessons learned, use of enhanced skimming techniques and other best achievable technology. In determining what the maximum extent practicable is, the director shall consider the effectiveness, engineering feasibility, commercial availability, safety, and the cost of the measures.
(((27)))(28) "Mobilization" means the time it takes to get response resources readied for operation and ready to travel to the spill site or staging area.
(((28)))(29) "Navigable waters of the state" means those waters of the state, and their adjoining shorelines, that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are presently used, have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport intrastate, interstate, or foreign commerce.
(((29)))(30) "Nondedicated" means those response resources listed by a primary response contractor for oil spill response activities that are not dedicated response resources.
(((30)))(31) "Nonpersistent or group 1 oil" means:
(a) A petroleum-based oil, such as gasoline, diesel or jet fuel, which evaporates relatively quickly. Such oil, at the time of shipment, consists of hydrocarbon fractions of which:
(i) At least fifty percent, by volume, distills at a temperature of 340°C (645°F); and
(ii) At least ninety-five percent, by volume, distills at a temperature of 370°C (700°F).
(b) A nonpetroleum oil with a specific gravity less than 0.8.
(((31)))(32) "Nonpetroleum oil" means oil of any kind that is not petroleum-based((,)) including, but not limited to: Biological oils such as fats and greases of animals and vegetable oils, including oils from seeds, nuts, fruits, and kernels.
((
(32)))
(33) "
Northwest Area Contingency Plan (NWACP)" means the regional emergency response plan developed in accordance with federal requirements. In Washington state, the NWACP serves as the statewide master oil and hazardous substance contingency plan required by RCW
90.56.060.
(((33)))(34) "Offshore facility" means any facility located in, on, or under any of the navigable waters of the state, but does not include a facility, any part of which is located in, on, or under any land of the state, other than submerged land.
(((34)))(35) "Oil" or "oils" means oil of any kind that is liquid at twenty-five degrees Celsius and one atmosphere of pressure and any fractionation thereof, including, but not limited to, crude oil, bitumen, synthetic crude oil, natural gas well condensate, petroleum, gasoline, fuel oil, diesel oil, biological oils and blends, oil sludge, oil refuse, and oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil. Oil does not include any substance listed in Table 302.4 of 40 C.F.R. Part 302 adopted August 14, 1989, under section 102(a) of the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by P.L. 99-499.
(((35)))(36) "Oily waste" means oil contaminated waste resulting from an oil spill or oil spill response operations.
(((36)))(37) "Onshore facility" means any facility, as defined in subsection (((19)))(20) of this section, any part of which is located in, on, or under any land of the state, other than submerged land, that because of its location, could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment by discharging oil into or on the navigable waters of the state or the adjoining shorelines.
(((37)))(38) "Operating environments" means the conditions in which response equipment is designed to function. Water body classifications ((will be))are determined using criteria found in the ASTM Standard Practice for Classifying Water Bodies for Spill Control Systems ASTM International ((F 625-94 (reapproved 2006)))ASTM F625/F625M-94 (2017).
(((38)))(39) "Operational period" means the period of time scheduled for execution of a given set of operational actions as specified in the incident action plan. The operational period coincides with the completion of one planning cycle.
(((39)))(40) "Owner" or "operator" means:
(a) In the case of a vessel, any person owning, operating, or chartering by demise, the vessel;
(b) In the case of an onshore or offshore facility, any person owning or operating the facility;
(c) In the case of an abandoned vessel or onshore or offshore facility, the person who owned or operated the vessel or facility immediately before its abandonment; and
(d) Operator does not include any person who owns the land underlying a facility if the person is not involved in the operations of the facility.
(((40)))(41) "Passenger vessel" means a ship of greater than three hundred gross tons with a fuel capacity of at least six thousand gallons carrying passengers for compensation.
(((41)))(42) "Passive recovery" means a tactic that uses absorbent material to mitigate impacts to shorelines.
(((42)))(43) "Persistent oil" means:
(a) Petroleum-based oil that does not meet the distillation criteria for a nonpersistent oil. Persistent oils are further classified based on both specific and American Petroleum Institute (API) observed gravities corrected to 60°F, as follows:
(i) Group 2 - Specific gravity greater than or equal to 0.8000 and less than 0.8500. API gravity less than or equal to 45.00 and greater than 35.0;
(ii) Group 3 - Specific gravity greater than or equal to 0.8500, and less than 0.9490. API gravity less than or equal to 35.0 and greater than 17.5;
(iii) Group 4 - Specific gravity greater than or equal to 0.9490 and up to and including 1.0. API gravity less than or equal to 17.5 and greater than 10.00; and
(iv) Group 5 - Specific gravity greater than 1.0000. API gravity equal to or less than 10.0.
(b) A nonpetroleum oil with a specific gravity of 0.8 or greater. These oils are further classified based on specific gravity as follows:
(i) Group 2 - Specific gravity equal to or greater than 0.8 and less than 0.85;
(ii) Group 3 - Specific gravity equal to or greater than 0.85 and less than 0.95;
(iii) Group 4 - Specific gravity equal to or greater than 0.95 and less than 1.0; or
(iv) Group 5 - Specific gravity equal to or greater than 1.0.
(((43)))(44) "Person" means any political subdivision, government agency, municipality, industry, public or private corporation, co-partnership, association, firm, individual, or any other entity whatsoever.
(((44) "Control point" means a location along the pipeline, or rail line, pre-identified as an initial control or containment strategy to minimize impacts of spilled oil. The objective of a control point may be to contain, collect, divert or exclude oil from further impacting sensitive environmental, economic or cultural resources. Control points are designed and maintained by plan holders.))
(45) "Pipeline tank farm" means a facility that is linked to a pipeline but not linked to a vessel terminal.
(46) "Plan" means oil spill response, cleanup, and disposal contingency plan for the containment and cleanup of oil spills into the waters of the state and for the protection of fisheries and wildlife, shellfish beds, natural resources, and public and private property from such spills as required by RCW
90.56.210 and
88.46.060.
(47) "Plan holder" means a person who submits and implements a contingency plan consistent with RCW
88.46.060 and
90.56.210 on the person's own behalf or on behalf of one or more persons. Where a plan is submitted on behalf of multiple persons, those covered under that plan are not considered plan holders for purposes of this chapter.
(48) "Planning standards" means goals and criteria that ecology will use to assess whether a plan holder is prepared to respond to the maximum extent practicable to a worst case spill. Ecology will use planning standards for reviewing oil spill contingency plans and evaluating drills.
(49) "Primary response contractor (PRC)" means a response contractor that has been approved by ecology and is directly responsible to a contingency plan holder, either by a contract or other approved written agreement.
(50) "Public vessel" means a vessel that is owned, or demise chartered, and is operated by the United States government, or a government of a foreign country, and is not engaged in commercial service.
(51) "Recovery system" means a skimming device, storage, work boats, boom, and associated material needed such as pumps, hoses, sorbents, etc., used collectively to maximize oil recovery.
(52) "Regional vessels of opportunity response group" means a group of nondedicated vessels participating in a vessel of opportunity response system to respond when needed and available.
(53) "Resident" means the spill response resources are staged at a location within the described planning area.
(54) "Response zone" means a geographic area either along a length of a pipeline or including multiple pipelines, containing one or more adjacent line sections, for which the operator must plan for the deployment of, and provide, spill response capabilities. The size of the zone is determined by the operator while considering available capability, resources, and geographic characteristics.
(55) "Responsible party" means a person liable under RCW
90.56.370.
(56) "Ship" means any boat, ship, vessel, barge, or other floating craft of any kind.
(57) "Shorelines of statewide significance" means those shorelines of statewide significance defined in the Shoreline Management Act (SMA), RCW
90.58.030.
(58) "Spill" means an unauthorized discharge of oil which enters waters of the state.
(59) "Spill assessment" means determining product type, potential spill volume, environmental conditions including tides, currents, weather, river speed and initial trajectory as well as a safety assessment including air monitoring.
(60) "Spill management team (SMT)" means representatives and assigned personnel who are qualified and capable of integrating into an incident command system or unified command system and managing a spill. A company internal SMT is approved through the contingency plan and a contracted SMT is approved by ecology through the SMT application process and is directly responsible to a contingency plan holder, either by a contract or other approved written agreement.
(61) "Systems approach" means the infrastructure and support resources necessary to mobilize, transport, deploy, sustain, and support the equipment to meet the planning standards, including mobilization time, trained personnel, personnel call out mechanisms, vehicles, trailers, response vessels, cranes, boom, pumps, storage devices, etc.
(((61)))(62) "Tank vessel" means a ship that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil in bulk as cargo or cargo residue, and that:
(a) Operates on the waters of the state; or
(b) Transfers oil in a port or place subject to the jurisdiction of this state.
(((62)))(63) "Technical manual" means a manual intended to be used as a planning document to support the evaluation of best achievable protection systems for potential response capability of plan holder owned and PRC dedicated and nondedicated equipment.
(((63)))(64) "Transfer site" means a location where oil is moved in bulk on or over waters of the state to or from a covered vessel by means of pumping, gravitation, or displacement.
(((64)))(65) "Transmission pipeline" means all parts of a pipeline whether interstate or intrastate, through which oil moves in transportation, including line pipes, valves, and other appurtenances connected to line pipe, pumping units, and fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units metering and delivery stations and fabricated assemblies therein, and breakout tanks.
(((65)))(66) "Umbrella plan" means a single plan submitted on behalf of multiple covered vessels that is prepared by a nonprofit corporation.
(((66)))(67) "Vessel terminal" means a facility that is located on marine or river waters and transfers oil to or from a tank vessel.
(((67)))(68) "Vessels of opportunity response system" means nondedicated vessels and operating personnel, including fishing and other vessels, available to assist in spill response when necessary. The vessels of opportunity are under contract with and equipped by contingency plan holders to assist with oil spill response activities including, but not limited to, on-water oil recovery in the near shore environment, the placement of oil spill containment booms to protect sensitive habitats, and providing support of logistical or other tactical actions.
(((68)))(69) "Waters of the state" means all lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, inland waters, underground water, salt waters, estuaries, tidal flats, beaches and lands adjoining the seacoast of the state, sewers, and all other surface waters and watercourses within the jurisdiction of the state of Washington.
(((69)))(70) "Wildlife response service provider (WRSP)" means representatives and assigned personnel who are qualified and capable of assuming the responsibilities of the wildlife branch and managing the operational components of wildlife response activities during an oil spill coordinating with state, federal, tribal, and other response partners to initiate and conduct wildlife reconnaissance, deterrence, capture, stabilization, and rehabilitation operations as needed. A wildlife response service provider is approved by ecology and is directly responsible to a contingency plan holder, either by a contract or other approvable written agreement.
(71) "((Western))Worldwide Response Resource List (WRRL)" means ((a regional))an equipment list established and maintained by spill response equipment owners ((in the northwest area)).
(((70)))(72) "Worst case spill" means:
(a) For an offshore facility, the largest possible spill considering storage, production, and transfer capacity complicated by adverse weather conditions; or
(b) For an onshore facility, the entire volume of the largest above ground storage tank on the facility site complicated by adverse weather conditions, unless ecology determines that a larger or smaller volume is more appropriate given a particular facility's site characteristics and storage, production, and transfer capacity; or
(c) For a vessel, a spill of the vessel's entire cargo and fuel complicated by adverse weather conditions; or
(d) For pipelines, the size of the worst case spill is dependent on the location of pump stations, key block valves, geographic considerations, response zones, or volume of the largest breakout tank. For each it is the largest volume determined from the following three different methods, complicated by adverse weather conditions:
(i) The pipeline's maximum time to detect the release, plus the maximum shutdown response time multiplied by the maximum flow rate per hour, plus the largest line drainage volume after shutdown;
For planning purposes, the total time to detect the release and shutdown the pipeline should be based on historic discharge data or, in the absence of such historic data, the operator's best estimate. At a minimum the total time to detect and shut down the pipeline((,)) must be equal to or greater than thirty minutes.
(ii) The maximum historic discharge from the pipeline; and
(iii) The largest single breakout tank or battery of breakout tanks within a single secondary containment system.
Each operator shall determine the worst case discharge and provide the methodology, including calculations, used to arrive at the volume in the contingency plan.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-130Phase in language for vessel and facility plan holders.
(1) This section applies to those plan holders who, on the effective date of this chapter, have approved or conditionally approved plans, ((and))primary response contractors (PRC) with approved applications, and spill management teams (SMTs), and wildlife response service providers (WRSPs) that apply for ecology approval to be cited in contingency plans. Each update must contain all necessary content and meet the requirements of this chapter.
(2) ((For existing approved facility plan holders within six months after the effective date of this chapter, all facility plan holders must update their plans to comply with the following sections as applicable to the facility:
(a) Binding agreement (WAC 173-182-220).
(b) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (8)), claims procedures.
(c) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (4)(c)(i) through (v)), products handled.
(d) Facility spills to ground notifications (WAC 173-182-264).
(e) Planning standards for dispersants (WAC 173-182-325).
(f) Planning standard for Group 5 Oils (WAC 173-182-324).
(g) To the extent to which plan holders rely on PRC applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(3) For existing approved tank vessel plan holders and vessel umbrella plan holders, the following is required, as applicable to the plan holder:
(a) Within six months after the effective date of this chapter, all tank vessel plan holders and vessel umbrella plan holders must update their plans to comply with the following sections:
(i) Binding agreement (WAC 173-182-220).
(ii) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (3)(b)(ii)).
(iii) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (5)(f) and (g)).
(iv) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (6)(a)(i) through (vii) and (7)).
(v) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (8)), claims procedures.
(vi) Aerial surveillance planning standard (WAC 173-182-321(2)), Additional surveillance assets.
(vii) Planning standard for dispersants (WAC 173-182-325).
(viii) Planning standard for Group 5 Oils (WAC 173-182-324).
(ix) Requirements for vessel umbrella plan holders maintaining additional agreements for supplemental resources (WAC 173-182-232).
(x) To the extent to which plan holders rely on PRC applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(b) Within eighteen months after the effective date of this chapter, all tank vessel plan holders and vessel umbrella plan holders must update their plans to comply with the following sections:
(i) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 1 - Cape Flattery/Strait of Juan De Fuca.
(ii) Aerial surveillance planning standard (WAC 173-182-321(1)), Helicopter/fixed wing.
(iii) Dedicated on-water storage (WAC 173-182-335), at least twenty-five percent of the total worst case discharge requirement.
(iv) San Juan County planning standard (WAC 173-182-370), four hour planning standard.
(v) Neah Bay staging area (WAC 173-182-395), four hour planning standard.
(vi) Covered vessel planning standard for shoreline cleanup (WAC 173-182-522).
(vii) To the extent to which plan holders rely on PRC applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(c) Within thirty-six months after the effective date of this chapter, all tank vessel plan holders and vessel umbrella plan holders must update their plans to comply with the following sections:
(i) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 2 - San Juan Islands/North Puget Sound.
(ii) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 4 - Lower Columbia River.
(iii) Provide proposal for ecology review of the aerial surveillance planning standard (WAC 173-182-321(3)), Helicopter/fixed wing with forward looking infrared. Plan holder shall have an additional twelve months to have this asset staged and all plan updates finalized as applicable.
(iv) Covered vessel plan holder's technical manual requirement (WAC 173-182-349).
(v) Commencement Bay Quartermaster Harbor planning standard (WAC 173-182-380), four hour planning standard.
(vi) Cathlamet staging area (WAC 173-182-415), four hour planning standard.
(vii) To the extent to which plan holders rely on PRC applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(d) Within forty-eight months after the effective date of this chapter, all tank vessel plan holders and vessel umbrella plan holders must update their plans to comply with the following sections:
(i) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 6 - Grays Harbor.
(ii) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 3 - South Puget Sound and Central Puget Sound.
(iii) Vessels of opportunity planning standard (WAC 173-182-317), Region 5 - Admiralty Inlet, Hood Canal and North Puget Sound.
(iv) Grays Harbor planning standard (WAC 173-182-450), four hour planning standard.
(v) To the extent to which plan holders rely on PRC applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(4) Within eighteen months after the effective date of this chapter, all primary response contractors must update their applications to comply with the following section: Primary response contractor application content, submittal and review (WAC 173-182-810).
(5)))Within six months from rule effective date, SMTs and WRSPs shall begin to submit applications for review and approval in accordance with WAC 173-182-830, 173-182-840, and 173-182-850.
(3) Within twelve months from rule effective date, plan holders shall update their plans to comply with the following as applicable to the plan holder:
(a) Contingency plan general content (WAC 173-182-230 (3)(e)), contractor contact information.
(b) Spill management teams (WAC 173-182-280).
(c) Transfer sites for covered vessels at locations where transfers occur, and for facilities with a vessel terminal (WAC 173-182-355).
(d) Planning standards for shoreline cleanup (WAC 173-182-522).
(e) Binding agreement (WAC 173-182-220).
(f) Field document (WAC 173-182-240 (2)(b)), notification form.
(g) Type and frequency of drills (WAC 173-182-710(6)), commitment to participating in the multiplan holder drill.
(h) Planning standards for air monitoring to protect oil spill responders and the public (WAC 173-182-535).
(i) Planning standards for in situ burning (WAC 173-182-330).
(j) Planning standards for dispersants (WAC 173-182-325).
(k) Planning standard spills of oils that, depending on their chemical properties, environmental factors (weathering), and method of discharge, may submerge or sink (WAC 173-182-323).
(l) Planning standards for wildlife response (WAC 173-182-540 (2)(a), (c), and (d)).
(4) Within eighteen months from rule effective date, vessels enrolling under either an umbrella contingency plan or a multivessel contingency plan must ensure that their enrollment includes contracted access to a state approved SMT or in-house team which meets the requirements of WAC 173-182-280, 173-182-830, 173-182-840, and 173-182-850.
(5) Within eighteen months from rule effective date, plan holders must include details about benthic and seafloor resources at risk from nonfloating oil spills in accordance with requirements for response and protection strategies under WAC 173-182-510. This requirement may be met by citing the geographic response plans which are developed as annexes to the northwest area contingency plan.
(6) Within twenty-four months of the effective date, plan holders shall meet the requirements for access to enhanced wildlife rehabilitation capability as described in WAC 173-182-540 (2)(b) and (e), Planning standards for wildlife response.
(7) To the extent to which plan holders rely on primary response contractor (PRC) applications to demonstrate compliance for plan holder planning standards, PRC applications must also be updated correspondingly.
(8) Each plan update will be given a thirty day public review and comment period. Ecology will approve, disapprove, or conditionally approve the plan update no later than sixty-five days from the update submittal date.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-150Post-spill review and documentation procedures.
Plan holders are required to conduct post-spill review procedures to review both the effectiveness of the plan and make plan improvements. Debriefs with ecology and other participating agencies and organizations may be appropriate if((,)) unified command has been established during a spill, and are required when significant plan updates are identified or significant lessons can be recorded and implemented.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 14-15-076, filed 7/16/14, effective 8/16/14)
WAC 173-182-220Binding agreement.
(1) Each plan shall contain a written statement binding the contingency plan ((holder))submitter to its use. ((Form number ECY 070-217 may be used.))The person(s) signing the agreement shall be authorized to make expenditures to implement the requirements in subsection (2) of this section. The binding agreement shall be signed by ((each of the following)):
(a) ((The plan holder, (b) the owner or operator, or a designee with authority to bind the owners and operators of the facilities or vessels covered by the plan.))An authorized representative(s) of a nonprofit corporation established to provide oil spill contingency plan coverage;
(b) An authorized owner, or operator, or a designee with authority to bind the owners and operators of the facilities or vessels covered by the plan;
(c) An authorized resident agent of the vessel(s) submitting the plan;
(d) An authorized representative(s) of a company contracted to the vessel or facility and approved by ecology to provide containment and clean-up services.
(2) The binding agreement ((is))must be submitted with the plan ((and will)). Form number ECY 070-217 may be used. If an alternative form is used, it must include the name, address, phone number, ((and if appropriate the)) email address, and web site of the submitting party. (((2) In the statement, the signator will:))In the binding agreement the signatory shall:
(a) Verify acceptance of the plan and commit to a safe and immediate response to spills and to substantial threats of spills that occur in, or could impact Washington waters or Washington's natural, cultural and economic resources;
(b) Commit to having an incident commander in the state within six hours after notification of a spill;
(c) Commit to the implementation and use of the plan during a spill and substantial threat of a spill, and to the training of personnel to implement the plan;
(d) Verify authority and capability to make necessary and appropriate expenditures in order to implement plan provisions; and
(e) Commit to working in unified command within the incident command system to ensure that all personnel and equipment resources necessary to the response will be called out to cleanup the spill safely and to the maximum extent practicable.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-230Contingency plan general content.
(1) Contingency plans must include all of the content and meet all the requirements in this section.
(2) In Washington state, the NWACP serves as the statewide master oil and hazardous substance contingency plan required by RCW
90.56.060. Plan holders shall write plans that refer to and are consistent with the NWACP.
(3) All contingency plans must include the following:
(a) Each plan shall state the federal or state requirements intended to be met by the plan.
(b) Each plan shall state the size of the worst case spill.
(i) For transmission pipelines, more than one worst case spill volume for different line sections or response zones on the entire pipeline may be submitted to ecology for consideration. The methods and calculations used to determine the worst case discharge volumes must be included in the plan.
(ii) For vessel umbrella plans that enroll both tank vessels and nontank covered vessels and that rely on supplemental resources for approval, specify the worst case discharge volume and product type for both tank and nontank covered vessels for each port covered by the contingency plan.
(iii) For multiple facilities using a single plan, separate worst case spill volumes are required for each facility.
(c) Each plan shall have a log sheet to record revisions and updates to the plan. The log sheet shall identify each section amended, including the date of the amendment, verification that ecology was notified and the name of the authorized person making the change. A description of the amendment and its purpose shall also be included in the log sheet, or filed as an amendment letter to be inserted in the plan immediately after the log sheet.
(d) Each plan shall have a cross-reference table reflecting the locations in the plan of each component required by this chapter.
(e) Each plan shall ((have the PRC's))include contact information for any PRC, SMT, or WRSP contracted resources necessary to meet plan holder planning standards. Contact information must include the name, address, twenty-four-hour phone number, or other means of contact at any time of the day.
(i) A contract or letter summarizing the terms of the contract signed by the PRC, SMT, or WRSP shall be included in the plan.
(ii) If the entire contract is not submitted, that document shall be available for inspection, if requested by the department.
(iii) For mutual aid agreements that a plan holder relies on to meet the planning standards, the plan shall include a copy of the agreement and describe the terms of that document in the plan.
(iv) If a plan holder relies on a PRC, SMT, or other contractor to staff ICS positions for the spill management team, then the commitment must be specified in writing.
(v) If the entire contract for additional spill management team support is not included in the plan, that document shall be made available for inspection, if requested by ecology.
(f) Each plan must contain the procedures to track and account for the entire volume of oil recovered and oily wastes generated and disposed of during spills. The responsible party must provide these records to ecology upon request.
(4) Additional facility plan content.
Facility plans shall include:
(a) The name, location, type and address of the facility;
(b) Starting date of operations;
(c) Description of the operations covered by the plan:
(i) List the oil handling operations that occur at the facility location.
(ii) Inventory all tanks and list the tank capacity.
(iii) All oil(s) or product(s) handled by name and include; density, gravity, API, oil group number, and sulfur content (sweet/sour).
(iv) Include a written description and map indicating site topography, stormwater and other drainage systems, mooring areas, pipelines, tanks, and other oil processing, storage, and transfer sites and operations.
(v) A description of the geographic area that could be impacted from a spill at the location based on a forty-eight hour worst case spill trajectory analysis.
(vi) For pipelines, a narrative describing how the response zone was identified shall be submitted as part of the plan.
(5) Additional vessel plan content. Except as provided in subsections (6) and (7) of this section, vessel plans shall also include:
(a) Name of each vessel covered under the plan;
(b) The name, location, and address of the owner or operator;
(c) Official identification code or call sign;
(d) Country of registry;
(e) All ports of call or areas of expected operation in Washington waters;
(f) List all oil(s) or product(s) by name and include; density, gravity, API, oil group number, sulfur content (sweet/sour) and general ship capacity for amounts carried as cargo or fuel;
(g) Description of the operations covered by the plan; and
(h) A diagram indicating cargo, fuel, and ballast tanks and piping, power plants, and other oil storage and transfer sites and operations.
(6) Plans covering multiple vessels with different owners shall also include the following:
(a) In lieu of providing vessels names, call signs and country of registry, plan holders shall maintain accurate enrollment or member lists with vessel specific information provided by covered vessels and shall provide ecology twenty-four hour access to the enrolled vessels list via the internet in a format acceptable to ecology. The list shall be updated daily, or at a minimum every three days. The list must at a minimum include the following:
(i) Vessel name;
(ii) Vessel type;
(iii) Worst case discharge oil type and quantity;
(iv) The name and API gravity of the densest oil being handled on the enrolled vessels;
(v) Qualified individual/spill management team;
(vi) Agent; and
(vii) Protection and indemnity (P&I) club.
(b) Plans covering multiple vessels shall include a list of the types of vessels and the typical oil types by group and volumes. In addition, vessel diagrams indicating cargo, fuel, and ballast tanks and piping, power plants, and other oil storage and transfer sites and operations shall be available for inspection by ecology. The procedure for the plan holder to acquire vessel diagrams needs to be documented in the plan.
(7) Umbrella plans shall list the name of the entities that provide supplemental equipment.
(8) Plans shall include concise procedures to establish a process to manage oil spill liability claims of damages to persons or property, public or private, for which a responsible party may be liable.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-240Field document.
(1) Each plan shall contain a field document which lists time-critical information for the initial emergency phase of a spill and a substantial threat of a spill. The owner or operator of the covered vessel or facility shall make the field document available to personnel who participate in oil handling operations and shall keep the field document in key locations at facilities, docks, on vessels and in the plan. The locations where field documents are kept must be listed in the plan, provided that plan holders covering multiple persons shall not be subject to enforcement if the owner or operator of an enrolled vessel fails to keep the field documents in the location specified in the plan.
Plans covering multiple persons shall include procedures to ensure each vessel covered by the plan is provided the field document prior to entering Washington waters. This can include by electronic means.
(2) At a minimum, the field document shall contain:
(a) A list of the procedures to detect, assess and document the presence and size of a spill;
(b) Spill notification procedures ((and)), a call out list that meets the requirements in WAC 173-182-260 and 173-182-262 or 173-182-264 as applicable, and a form to document notifications; and
(c) A checklist that identifies significant steps used to respond to a spill, listed in a logical progression of response activities.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-250Initial response actions.
(1) Plan holders and responsible parties are required to document their initial spill actions and the plan shall include the forms that will be used for such documentation.
(2) The plan shall describe what equipment will be used to conduct initial spill assessment, including equipment effective during darkness and low visibility conditions, such as visual methods, tracking buoys, trajectory modeling, aerial overflights, thermal or infrared imagery.
(3) The plan must state how safety assessment including initial air monitoring will be conducted for all types of spills, including spills to groundwater.
(4) The plan must list procedures that will be used to confirm the occurrence, and estimate the quantity and nature of the spill. An updated report is required if the initially reported estimated quantity or the ((area)) extent of the contamination changes significantly.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 14-15-076, filed 7/16/14, effective 8/16/14)
WAC 173-182-262Vessel notification requirements for a discharge or substantial threat of a discharge.
(1) The owner or operator of a covered vessel must notify the state through the Washington emergency management division of a discharge or substantial threat of a discharge. Notification must be made within one hour of the discharge or substantial threat of a discharge, or as soon as is feasible without further endangering the vessel or personnel.
(2) Vessel discharge notifications are in addition and made subsequent to notifications that the owner or operator of a covered vessel must provide to the United States Coast Guard. Vessels enrolled in plans covering multiple vessels must notify the plan holder in addition to the state, unless the state has already been notified by the plan holder on behalf of the vessel owner or operator.
(3) Notification of the discharge or substantial threat of a discharge initiates activation of the plan. Upon notification, the vessel owner/operator will coordinate as appropriate with:
(a) The state of Washington and the United States Coast Guard to take any necessary actions to protect the public health, welfare, and natural resources of the state; and
(b) The plan holder for plan implementation as described in the plan.
(4) Notification procedures must be included in the plan.
(5) The substantial threat of a discharge may be determined or affected by the following conditions:
(a) Ship location and proximity to land or other navigational hazards;
(b) Weather;
(c) Tidal currents;
(d) Sea state;
(e) Traffic density;
(f) Condition of vessel; and
(g) Timing or likelihood of vessel repairs.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-264Notification requirements for facility spills to ground or containment that threaten waters of the state.
(1) Facility plans shall contain procedures for notifications for spills to ground and to permeable secondary containment that threaten to impact waters of the state.
(a) All spills are considered reportable spills except;
(i) Spills which are known to be less than forty-two gallons that do not impact surface or groundwater.
(ii) CERCLA releases.
(iii) On-facility air releases to the atmosphere only.
(iv) Releases from underground storage tanks regulated under chapter 173-360A WAC.
(v) Preexisting sources of releases identified as RCRA solid waste management units.
(vi) Spills contained within areas controlled by NPDES permitted systems that are not likely to threaten groundwater and do not exceed applicable federal reportable quantities.
(b) A spill is considered to have not impacted ground if it occurs on a paved surface such as asphalt or concrete. A spill to dirt or gravel is considered to have impacted ground and is reportable.
(2) Plan holders must also include procedures in their plan to address spills of an unknown volume. When addressing a spill of an unknown volume, plan holders shall use best professional judgment and may consider the following circumstances in determining when to make notifications:
(a) Whether the spill is ongoing; and
(b) Whether the spill is located in an area that is adjacent to waters of the state or where there is a pathway to waters of the state, and the environmental conditions, such as rain events, or known shallow groundwater make impacts to waters of the state likely.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 14-15-076, filed 7/16/14, effective 8/16/14)
WAC 173-182-280Spill management teams.
(1) Each plan shall contain information on the personnel (including contract personnel as applicable) who will be available to manage an oil spill response. To meet the requirement, the plan shall include:
(a) An organizational diagram depicting the chain of command for the spill management team for a worst case spill.
(b) For the purpose of ensuring depth of the spill management team, ((an organization list of one primary and one alternate person to lead each ICS spill management position down to the section chief and command staff level as depicted in the NWACP standard ICS organizational chart. In lieu of being placed in the plan, this list))a table detailing the names of personnel to fill the following ICS roles or the name of the SMT contracted to fill the roles.
(i) Personnel may be listed a maximum of two times.
(ii) Personnel filling key roles do not need to be a resident in Washington state.
ICS Position | Name | Name | Name |
Responsible Party Incident Commander | | | |
Public Information Officer | | | |
Liaison Officer | | | |
Safety Officer | | | |
Operations Section Chief | | | |
Planning Section Chief | | | |
Logistics Section Chief | | | |
Finance Section Chief | | | |
Wildlife Branch Director | | | |
Air Operations Branch Director | | | |
Situation Unit Leader | | | |
Resources Unit Leader | | | |
Documentation Unit Leader | | | |
Environmental Unit Leader | | | |
Additional SMT rosters which detail greater position depth available to support the plan holder may be maintained at the plan holder's office and be made available to ecology upon request. If a primary response contractor, SMT, or WRSP is used to fill positions, they must have an approved application on file with the state and they must agree in writing, either through contract or other approvable means, to staff the positions. The capacity and depth of spill management teams will be evaluated in plan holder drills and spills.
(c) A job description for each spill management position((; except if the plan holder follows without deviation the job descriptions contained in the NWACP)), or a reference to the incident management handbook with position description. If the job descriptions are consistent with the NWACP, then the plan holder may reference the NWACP rather than repeat the information.
(d) A detailed description of the planning process which will be used to manage a spill or a reference to the incident management handbook with planning process descriptions and meeting agendas. If the process is consistent with the NWACP then the plan holder may reference the NWACP rather than repeat the information.
(2) The plan shall address the type and frequency of training that each individual listed in subsection (1)(b) of this section receives. The training program at a minimum shall include ((as applicable)) ICS, NWACP policies, use and location of GRPs, the contents of the plan and worker health and safety as applicable to the role. A combination of training and experience in drills and spills may be used to describe SMT personnel capabilities within response roles. The training program shall include participation in periodic announced and unannounced exercises and participation should approximate the actual roles and responsibilities of the individual specified in the plan. New employees shall complete the training program prior to being assigned job responsibilities which require participation in emergency response situations.
(3) The plan shall identify a primary and two alternate incident ((commander's))commander representatives that can form unified command at the initial command post, and ((if located out-of-state, a primary and alternate incident commander)) that could arrive ((at the initial command post))in state within six hours.
(4) The plan shall include a narrative description of estimated time frames for arrival of the remainder of the spill management team ((to the spill site, or at the incident command post as appropriate))in state.
(((4)))(5) The plan shall list a process for orderly transitions of initial response staff to incoming local, regional or away team personnel, including transitions between shift changes.
(((5)))(6) Plans covering multiple vessels must maintain a list of the spill management team(s) for each vessel enrolled under the plan, and must describe the transition process from plan personnel to the incoming vessel owner or operator's team. The plan must include checklists and documentation to facilitate an effective transition.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-321Covered vessel planning standards for aerial surveillance.
Covered vessels operating or transiting the lower Columbia River, Grays Harbor, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, or Washington coast, shall document the following aerial surveillance capability through the plan:
(1) Access to a helicopter or fixed wing, under contract or other approved means, that is appropriately located and could have arrived with a trained aerial oil spill spotter (spotter) to those planning standard areas plan holders operate or transit within six hours of spill notification. The contracted asset must have the following capability:
(a) Be capable of supporting oil spill containment and removal operations by providing oil spotting capability for at least ten hours per day during the initial seventy-two hours of an oil discharge.
(b) Have a trained spotter on board the aerial asset capable of acquiring, interpreting, recording and communicating oil location and other information to the command post or field operations at regular intervals. The spotter must be equipped with a high definition photographic or video capability and be able to collect and disseminate the following data about the environmental and operational picture including the location of the oil, environmental impacts, and spill resources on-scene:
(i) Latitude and longitude of the location, impacts, or spill resources;
(ii) Azimuth and altitude that the picture was taken;
(iii) Bearing that the picture was taken;
(iv) Estimated extent of oiling; and
(v) Time and date.
(2) Plans must also include logistical sources of additional resources not under contract that may be utilized as additional spotting resources to maximize the effectiveness of enhanced skimming, or as resources to identify the extent of oil to inform shoreline clean-up and assessment teams and shoreline clean-up activities.
(3) In order to provide best achievable technology for aerial oil surveillance, vessel plan holders must also provide for access to a helicopter or fixed wing asset, under contract or other approved means, with the capability to provide a strategic picture of the overall spill; assist in location of slicks when they are not visible by persons operating at, or near, the water's surface or at night; extend the hours of clean-up operations to include darkness and poor visibility; and identify oceanographic and geographic features toward which oil may migrate.
(a) The aerial asset must be appropriately located and could have arrived with trained aerial observers to those planning standard areas plan holders operate or transit within twelve hours of spill notification.
(b) The aerial asset must be equipped with a suite of equipment that could support the capabilities described in this subsection. At least two remote sensing systems must be included in the suite and one of them must be a high definition mounted infrared (IR) camera designed to support aerial operations from aerial platforms. If the IR camera is not mounted, then plan holders must demonstrate how the handheld system will be effective from an aerial platform. Plan holders must submit for approval the systems included in the suite. For the IR camera, the following capability descriptions must be included in the submission:
(i) IR camera with sensors capable in the thermal or mid-IR range;
(ii) A sensor which provides high resolution for airborne imaging;
(iii) Continuous optical zoom capability appropriate for use from an aerial platform;
(iv) Tested minimum thermal resolution and/or the tested minimum resolvable temperature difference; and
(v) Plan holders must submit for review and approval the systems included in the suite. Plan holders may submit for review and approval alternative testing data. This alternative proposal will be subject to a thirty-day public review and comment period which includes, but is not limited to, interested local and tribal governments and other stakeholders.
(c) The trained oil spill aerial observer on board could begin gathering the following from the scene of the spill once on-site:
(i) Graphically displaying processed multispectral data (at a minimum displaying the IR and optical windows), photographic images and other information onto electronic marine charts creating high contrast composite images;
(ii) Ability to reference a map image to a geographic location;
(iii) Location extent and relative thickness information for a reported oil sheen or slick;
(iv) Transmitting processed images and other information to the unified command primary command post;
(v) Archiving all processed data and images; and
(vi) Integrating spill images and other information with spill management software.
(4) Plan holders must have access to personnel trained in aerial surveillance and as spotters to direct skimmers into the thickest oil to enhance on-water recovery and to support the activities described above. The names of individuals with this training, their home base and training levels must either be listed in the plan or made available to ecology upon request. At a minimum, personnel must be trained in aerial observation at the level set forth in federal regulations currently located at 33 C.F.R. 155.1050 (l)(2)(iii). A copy of this regulation is available through ecology upon request.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-324Planning standards for ((Group 5 Oils))spills of oils that, depending on their chemical properties, environmental factors (weathering), and method of discharge, may submerge or sink.
(1) Plan holders carrying, handling, storing, or transporting ((Group 5 Oils))oils that may weather and sink when spilled to the environment must have a contract with a PRC that maintains the resources and/or capabilities necessary to respond to a spill of ((Group 5 Oils. Such equipment shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) Sonar, sampling equipment or other methods to locate the oil on the bottom or suspended in the water column;
(b) Containment boom, sorbent boom, silt curtains, or other methods for containing the oil that may remain floating on the surface or to reduce spreading on the bottom;
(c) Dredges, pumps, or other equipment necessary to recover oil from the bottom and shoreline;
(d) Equipment necessary to assess the impact of such discharges; and
(e) Other appropriate equipment necessary to respond to a discharge involving the type of oil handled, stored, or transported.
(2) The equipment must be capable of being on scene within twelve hours of spill notification.))nonfloating oils. Examples of these types of oils include, but are not limited to, crude oil, diluted bitumen, group V oils, low American Petroleum Institute oil, decant, asphalt, and asphalt products.
(2) The plan holder or contracted primary response contractor must have the necessary personnel and equipment capable within the time frames outlined in the table below:
Time (hours) | Capability |
1 | Initiate an assessment and consultation regarding the potential for the spilled oil to submerge or sink. |
6-12 | Resources to detect and delineate the spilled oil such as side scan or multibeam sonar, divers, remotely operated vehicles, or other methods to locate the oil on the bottom or suspended in the water column could have arrived. |
| Additionally, containment boom, sorbent boom, silt curtains, or other methods for containing the oil that may remain floating on the surface or to reduce spreading on the bottom could have arrived. |
12-24 | Resources and equipment, such as sampling equipment, necessary to assess the impact of the spilled oil on the environment oil could have arrived. |
| Dredges, submersible pumps, or other equipment necessary to recover oil from the bottom and shoreline could have arrived. |
(3) The contingency plan must detail the process for identifying if the oil handled has the potential to submerge or sink and include a description of the process for detecting, delineating, and recovering nonfloating oils in the areas that may be impacted. In lieu of including nonfloating oils response details in the contingency plan, plan holders may cite the nonfloating oils response tools found in the NWACP.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-325Planning standards for dispersants.
(1) Plan holders ((with vessels)) carrying, handling, storing, or transporting Group 2 ((or)), 3, or 4 persistent oil ((as a primary cargo that transit))that is known to be dispersible and that may impact when spilled in any area where preapproval or case-by-case use of dispersants is available as per the NWACP, must plan for the use of dispersants.
(2) The plan holder must identify the locations of dispersant stockpiles, and dispersant type, capable of dispersing the lesser of five percent of the worst case spill volume or twelve thousand barrels per day, using a dispersant to oil ratio of one to twenty.
(3) The plan holder must describe the methods of transporting equipment and supplies to a staging area, and appropriate aircraft or vessels to apply the dispersant and monitor its effectiveness.
(4) The plan holder must describe operational support capability, including the platforms and spotters used to deploy dispersants, monitor the operational efficacy of the dispersant application to support operational decision making, and ensure safety of response personnel.
(5) These resources must be capable of being on-scene within twelve hours of spill notification.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-330Planning standards for in situ burning.
(1) Based on the NWACP in situ burning policy, plan holders operating in areas where in situ burning ((has an expedited approval process must))may be considered as a response option shall plan for the use of in situ burning as appropriate to the oil types handled and operating environments covered under the plan.
(2) The plan holder must identify the locations of two fire booms, air monitoring equipment, personal protective equipment, igniters and aircraft or vessels, or other appropriate means to be used to deploy the igniters.
(3) The fire booms must be five hundred feet in length each and have an additional one thousand feet of conventional boom, tow bridles and work boats capable of towing the boom for on-water burning operations.
(4) The plan holder must describe the methods of transporting the equipment to a staging area, and appropriate aircraft ((or)), vessels, and personnel resources to monitor its effectiveness at the scene of an oil discharge.
(5) These resources must be capable of being on-scene within twelve hours of spill notification.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-345Determining effectiveness of recovery systems.
Plan holders and PRCs that own equipment shall provide information for ecology to determine the effectiveness of the recovery systems and how the equipment meets the planning standards. To avoid duplication, plan holders relying upon a PRC to meet the necessary planning standards may reference the information submitted in the PRC's application, as approved by the department. Ecology will use the criteria in ASTM International F 1780-97 (reapproved ((2010))2018).
Determination of efficiency of recovery systems in varied operating environments and product types:
(1) For all skimmers, describe how the device is intended to be transported and deployed. List the boom and work boats associated with each water based skimming system. Identify the pumps and pumping capacity that will be used to transfer product to storage devices.
(2) For all oil recovery systems that rely on a vessel of opportunity or nondedicated transport asset, include a statement on how the asset would be located and secured. Include in the plan the mobilization time needed to ensure the assets are available, as well as the time needed to set up the oil recovery system, and the personnel that will be used in the operations. This may require longer mobilization time than those ((found))described in this chapter.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-348Determining effective daily recovery capacity.
(1) Plan holders and PRCs that own recovery equipment shall request an EDRC using the following procedures and the criteria in Title 33 C.F.R. 155, Appendix B, Section 6, "Determining Effective Daily Recovery Capacity for Oil Recovery Devices."
(2) When calculating the EDRC, the formula R = T x 24 hours x E will be used.
R = Effective daily recovery capacity
T = Throughput rate in barrels per hour (nameplate capacity)
E = 20 percent (efficiency factor).
(3) Equipment owners may request an alternative EDRC by providing all of the following information:
(a) A description of the recovery system which includes skimmer, boom, pump, work boats, and storage associated with the device;
(b) Description of deployment methods that will be used to enhance the recovery system to maximize oil encounter rate during spills;
(c) Documented performance during verified spill incidents; and
(d) Documentation of laboratory testing using ASTM standard methods (ASTM F 631-((80))15) or equivalent test approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
(4) The following formula will be used to calculate the effective daily recovery capacity for this alternative approach:
R = D x U
R = Effective daily recovery capacity
D = Average oil recovery throughput rate in barrels per hour
U = 10 (hours of operation). 10 hours is used for potential limitations due to available daylight, weather, sea state, and percentage of emulsified oil in the recovered material.
EDRC is limited to the storage capacity of the proposed recovery system.
For each skimming system identify the oil storage associated with each recovery system. State the storage capacity integral to the oil recovery system, if applicable. Describe how recovered oil is to be transported to/from interim storage.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-349Covered vessel plan holders technical manuals.
(1) Each covered vessel plan holder that operates or transits in the Neah Bay, Cathlamet, or San Juan Islands planning standard areas must provide a technical manual that includes all of the equipment appropriate for the operating environment that is necessary to meet the recovery and storage requirements, through the forty-eight hour time frame.
(2) The technical manuals will be used to inform the five year BAP cycle and support ecology's determination that the response systems, training levels, and staffing demonstrate best available protection.
(3) Plan holders must use a systems approach to identify the equipment, including WRRL identification or other unique identification numbers, that will be used to describe the response systems in the technical manual. For each recovery system described include the following:
(a) An operational picture or diagram of the recovery system, the EDRC for the system, and associated temporary storage;
(b) The infrastructure and support resources necessary for deployment;
(c) Associated vessels necessary to enhance the skimmer;
(d) At least three hundred feet of boom to enhance the skimmer or an alternative based on manufacturers recommendations;
(e) The mobilization time and home base for the equipment;
(f) The ownership or mechanism for accessing the equipment for example, under contract, subcontract or letter of intent to the plan holder or other approved means;
(g) If applicable, the ability of the recovery system to be used to support night operations;
(h) The minimum number of personnel necessary to deploy the equipment for a twelve hour shift and the training level of personnel appropriate to operate the equipment and carry out recovery;
(i) If alternative speeds are given for equipment associated with a recovery system the information should be included in the equipment description; and
(j) The oil type(s) the associated skimmer is optimized for.
(4) For the storage requirement include the following:
(a) An operational picture or diagram and capacity of the storage system;
(b) The infrastructure and support resources necessary for deployment;
(c) The mobilization time and home base for the equipment;
(d) The ownership or mechanism for accessing the equipment for example, under contract, subcontract, or letter of intent to the planholder or other approved means;
(e) The minimum number of personnel necessary to deploy the equipment for a twelve hour shift and the training level of personnel appropriate to operate the equipment;
(f) If applicable, the ability of the storage system to be used to support night operations;
(g) If alternative speeds are given for equipment associated with the storage device the information should be included in the equipment description.
(5) The technical manual is a standalone planning standard and is not intended to be used to demonstrate compliance with any other planning standards. Technical manuals are not intended to bind the use of any specific tactics during a drill or spill or to imply a guarantee of what will occur in a real spill event.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-350Documenting compliance with the planning standards.
The plan holder shall describe how the planning standards found in this chapter are met.
(1) Each plan shall provide a spreadsheet on the resources intended to meet the planning standards as described in this chapter. This spreadsheet shall account for boom, recovery systems, storage, and personnel ((by type, quantity, home base and provider)).
(2) Ecology will analyze the planning standard spreadsheet provided to determine whether the plan holder has access to equipment and personnel necessary to meet the planning standards.
(3) For purposes of determining plan adequacy, plan holders will include time for notification and mobilization of equipment and personnel. The time needed for a resource to move to the spill site is the sum of the notification, mobilization, and travel times. For dedicated resources owned by the plan holder, the mobilization planning factor to be used by the plan holder, PRC and ecology is thirty minutes. For all other dedicated response equipment the mobilization planning factor is one hour. Nondedicated resources shall have a mobilization planning factor of three hours or the time specified in the letter of intent, mutual aid agreement or contract.
(4) Equipment travel speeds shall be computed using a speed of thirty-five miles per hour for land and five knots for water. Ecology may use geographic information systems (GIS), standard nautical charts, street maps and available online mapping programs to determine the length of time it will take equipment to cover a given distance.
(5) Plan holders may request approval for alternative notification, mobilization, and travel time by providing documentation to justify the request, such as actual performance during spills, drills, planned equipment moves, or unannounced drills.
(a) The request shall include date and time of performance or test, under average or typical weather/sea state conditions and transportation information.
(b) If ecology accepts these alternative response times, then these response times will be tested in training exercises, planned drills, unannounced drills, or spills to verify alternative calculations.
(c) If ecology grants plan holder or PRC owned response equipment an alternative mobilization, transit speed, recovery or storage volume, through the plan review process, and the alternative is not demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department during a drill or spill, it may result in disapproving the alternative.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-355Transfer sites for covered vessels at ((locations))facilities where transfers occur, and for facilities with a vessel terminal.
Time (hours) | Boom/Assessment | Minimum Oil Recovery Rate % of WCS volume per 24 hours | Minimum Storage |
2 | A safety assessment of the spill by trained crew and appropriate air monitoring, with 1,000 feet of boom could have arrived | | |
4 | At least an additional 200 feet of boom and temporary storage of at least 196 barrels with the ability to collect, contain, and separate collected oil from water could have arrived. The additional boom should be capable of encountering oil at advancing speeds of at least 2 knots in waves. This boom shall be of a type appropriate for the operating environment | | |
6 | Additional 10,000 feet of boom to be used for containment, recovery or protection could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 10% of worst case spill volume or 12,500 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | 2 times the EDRC |
12 | Additional 20,000 feet of boom to be used for containment, recovery or protection could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 15% of worst case spill volume or 36,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | 2 times the EDRC |
24 | Additional 20,000 feet of boom to be used for containment, recovery or protection could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 20% of worst case spill volume or 48,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | 3 times the EDRC |
48 | More boom as necessary for containment, recovery or protection | Capacity to recover the lesser of 25% of worst case spill volume or 60,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | More as necessary to not slow the response |
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-375Padilla Bay planning standard.
Those covered vessel and facility plan holders that transit or operate north of State Highway 20, east of a line drawn from Shannon Point on Fidalgo Island to Kelly's Point on Guemes Island, south of a line drawn from Clark Point on Guemes Island and William Point on ((Sammish))Samish Island must meet the following standards. Some of the GRPs may be deployed by land.
Time (hours) | Boom/Assessment | Minimum Oil Recovery Rate % of WCS volume per 24 hours | Minimum Storage in Barrels |
1.5 | A safety assessment of the spill by trained crew and appropriate air monitoring, with 1,000 feet of boom could have arrived | | |
2 | Additional 2,000 feet of boom, or 4 times the length of the largest vessel whichever is less, to be used for containment, protection or recovery could have arrived | | |
6 | Additional 10,000 feet of appropriate types of boom for containment, protection or recovery could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 3% of worst case spill volume or 12,500 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived. 50% must be able to work in shallow water environments. Depth of 10 feet or less | 1 times the EDRC |
12 | Additional 20,000 feet of appropriate types of boom for containment, protection or recovery could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 10% of worst case spill volume or 36,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived on scene. At least 20% of the skimming capability must be able to work in shallow water environments. Depth of 10 feet or less | 1.5 times the EDRC |
24 | Additional 20,000 feet of boom for containment, protection or recovery could have arrived | Capacity to recover the lesser of 14% of worst case spill volume or 48,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | 2 times the EDRC |
48 | More boom necessary for containment, recovery or protection | Capacity to recover the lesser of 25% of worst case spill volume or 60,000 barrels within 24-hour period could have arrived | More as necessary to not slow the response |
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-510Requirements for response and protection strategies.
(1) Plan holders shall have methods to track and contain spilled oil and enhance the recovery and removal operations that are described in the plan.
(2) Each plan shall include a description of how environmental protection will be achieved, including:
(a) Protection of sensitive shoreline and island habitat by excluding, diverting, deflecting, collecting, or blocking oil movement;
(b)(i) The plan shall include a description of the sensitive areas and develop strategies to protect the resources, including information on natural resources, coastal and aquatic habitat types and sensitivity by season, breeding sites, presence of state or federally listed endangered or threatened species, and presence of commercial and recreational species, physical geographic features, including relative isolation of coastal regions, beach types, and other geological characteristics((;)). Identification of sensitive resources will not be limited to surface and shoreline species at risk from floating oil spills but will also include water column and benthic species at risk from sunken, submerged, or nonfloating oil spills.
(ii) Additional nonfloating oils considerations include identification of waterway depths, water density, sediment load, sea floor or river bottom types, and response options based on those factors.
(c) Identification of public resources, including public beaches, water intakes, drinking water supplies, and marinas;
(d) Identification of shellfish resources and methods to protect those resources;
(e) Identification of significant economic resources to be protected in the geographic area covered by the plan; and
(f) Each facility with the potential to impact a "sole source" aquifer or public drinking water source must identify the types of substrate and geographical extent of sensitive sites.
(3) The GRPs have been developed to meet these requirements and plans may refer to the NWACP to meet these requirements. If approved GRPs do not exist in the NWACP, plan holders will work with ecology to determine alternative sensitive areas to protect.
(4) Each plan shall identify potential initial command post locations.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-522((Covered vessel))Planning standards for shoreline cleanup.
(1) Each contingency plan shall include procedures for identifying shoreline types that could be impacted by an oil spill and procedures to determine appropriate response tactics for the potentially impacted shorelines during spills. The plan should describe contracted access to shoreline clean-up workers and shoreline clean-up equipment to ensure the following capability can plan to arrive within twenty-four hours of spill notification:
(a) Plan holders must have contracted access to one hundred trained shoreline clean-up workers. The shoreline clean-up workers must have appropriate safety and Hazwoper training and will not be counted towards other planning standards. The training should enable clean-up workers to safely perform clean-up actions under the direction of the supervisors and the work assignment as developed by the unified command.
(b) Plan holders must have contracted access to trained shoreline clean-up supervisors. Training for supervisors must include safety, Hazwoper, and relevant ICS courses. For planning purposes a ratio of 1:10 supervisors to clean-up workers should be available under contract to the plan holder. The shoreline clean-up supervisors will not be counted towards other planning standards. Supervisors must understand the ICS process and be able to direct workers consistent with the work assignments as developed by unified command.
(c) Plan holders shall have access to adequate equipment for passive recovery for three miles of shoreline on three tide lines. The plan must identify the staging location(s) of the shoreline clean-up equipment.
(d) The plan holder must have access to a shoreline clean-up mobile storage cache that can support eighty to one hundred shoreline clean-up workers with personal protective equipment, hand tools, and other logistical support for three to five days.
(2) Plan holders must describe how data collection, communications, data transmission and data management will be conducted.
(3) The plan shall describe how the plan holder will obtain additional resources necessary to support fourteen additional days of shoreline cleanup. The description should include vendor names, contact information, resources, and approximate time frames for resources to arrive at a staging area.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-535((Pipeline))Planning standards for air monitoring to protect oil spill responders and the public.
Plans will include a narrative description of applicable federal, state, and local requirements and the plan holder's resources for conducting air monitoring to protect oil spill responders and the public, including:
(1) A description of how initial site safety assessment for responders will occur;
(2) A description of how work area air monitoring will occur;
(3) A description of how community air monitoring (area wide monitoring) will occur;
(4) A description of air monitoring instruments and detection limits that will be used by responders when monitoring for public safety;
(5) A description of action levels for various oil constituents of concern based on products handled by the pipeline (benzene, H2S, etc.);
(6) A description of data management protocols and reporting time frames to the unified command;
(7) A description of communication methods to at-risk populations;
(8) A description of how evacuation zones and shelter-in-place criteria are established.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-540Planning standards for wildlife ((rescue and rehabilitation))response.
((The plan shall identify applicable federal, state and NWACP requirements for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and describe the equipment, personnel, resource and strategies for compliance with the requirements. These resources shall have the capability to arrive on-scene within twenty-four hours of spill notification.))Plan holders must plan to respond to and care for wildlife injured or endangered by oil spills.
(1) The plan must include contact information for any PRC or WRSP, available under contract or other approvable means, and that maintain the required equipment, personnel, permits, materials, and supplies, for conducting wildlife response operations in accordance with the capabilities detailed below.
(2) The plan shall describe the equipment, personnel, and resources for wildlife response, including:
(a) Equipment and personnel that may be used to support an initial impact assessment and wildlife reconnaissance via air, land, or water in the spill area.
(b) Equipment and personnel for whale reconnaissance, if these animals may be present in the areas the plan holder operates or transits, including:
(i) Contact information for providers of aircraft capable of supporting aerial reconnaissance, and deterrence, beyond the immediate spill area to locate whales, including southern resident killer whales.
(ii) Contact information for persons or organizations that can identify southern resident killer whales from aerial observation and support field reconnaissance activities.
(c)(i) Equipment and personnel that may be used to deter the types of wildlife likely to be found within the areas where the plan holder operates or transits, including the types and staging locations of the deterrent equipment. This equipment must have the capability to arrive on-scene within twelve hours of spill notification.
(ii) Based on the areas the plan holder operates or transits, equipment and personnel to conduct monitoring and deterrence operations to prevent southern resident killer whales from encountering spilled oil. The plan shall include contact information for a list of vessels, which may be whale watching vessels that have been vetted, trained, and equipped to support killer whale deterrent operations. The accuracy of the contact information will be verified in tabletop drills. The deployment capability will be tested in multiplan holder deployment drills.
(d) Equipment and supplies for mobile field stabilization activities, such as, conducting the initial health assessment and treatment of impacted wildlife prior to transport to an oiled wildlife rehabilitation facility. The mobile field stabilization asset must be enclosed, a minimum of one hundred eighty square feet, lighted and heated, and capable of arriving on-scene within twelve hours of spill notification.
(e) Wildlife rehabilitation facilities, space, and equipment suitable to conduct wildlife rehabilitation activities. Wildlife rehabilitation facilities shall meet the WDFW rehabilitation requirements detailed in WAC 220-450-100. The plan holder must have access under contract or other approvable means to wildlife rehabilitation spaces and necessary supporting supplies and equipment as described below. The facility spaces and equipment must have the capability to be strategically placed to support the response within twenty-four hours of spill notification. The facility space must meet the following minimum requirements:
(i) A minimum of two thousand four hundred square feet of space to house and treat wildlife. This space shall have the ability to be configured to support intake, prewash stabilization, wash/rinse, drying, and isolation/intensive care activities as needed. A minimum of four wash and rinse stations will have the ability to be located within this space.
(ii) A minimum of one thousand square feet of space to support rehabilitation activities. This space shall have the ability to be configured to support animal food preparation, medical lab, dry storage, morgue and necropsy areas.
(iii) Pools with a minimum of one thousand two hundred square feet of surface area are required. Pool dimensions will be such that no point in a pool will be greater than eight feet from a side. Pools will have the ability to be filled with freshwater to a minimum depth of three feet.
(iv) Access to laundry and cold/freezer storage capacity to support wildlife response. These spaces may be located offsite.
(v) Include a diagram of how the equipment could be configured and provide details about at least one strategic staging location for the rehabilitation facility.
(3) The plan holder shall have access to personnel that are appropriately trained to staff and manage the wildlife response within an incident command structure. At a minimum, one person that could be able to arrive in state within the first twelve hours of spill notification to coordinate with state, federal, tribal, and other response partners to initiate wildlife impact assessment, reconnaissance, deterrence, capture, stabilization, and rehabilitation operations as needed.
(4) The plan holder shall have access to personnel to conduct and manage the various field aspects of a wildlife response including impact assessment, reconnaissance, deterrence, capture, stabilization, and rehabilitation. At a minimum, two personnel that could have arrived within the first twelve hours of spill notification to support these activities. An additional seven personnel, for a total of nine that could have arrived within twenty-four hours of spill notification to support these activities.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-610Plan evaluation criteria.
Plan holders shall prepare a plan that demonstrates capability, to the maximum extent practicable, of promptly and properly removing oil and minimizing environmental damage from a variety of spill sizes, up to and including worst case spills. Ecology will evaluate plans based on these conditions:
(1) Only ecology approved PRC resources, plan holder owned resources and resources guaranteed through contract, written mutual aid agreements, or letters of intent ((or agreement)) shall be counted when calculating the planning standards. In the case of nondedicated storage devices, these will be derated by fifty percent of maximum storage volume (counted at a one to two ratio) and acquisition of these resources will be tested in unannounced drills.
(2) ((If a plan holder operates in an area where more than one planning standard designation applies, ecology will determine the more stringent of planning standards.
(3))) Ecology will count equipment if it is appropriate for the operating environment within the geographic area defined in the plan. Ecology will use criteria from sources such as the ASTM International documents, World Catalogue, manufacturer's recommendations, the ((Regional))Worldwide Response Resource List (WRRL), the federal Oil Spill Removal Organization guidelines, the Field Operations Guide resource typing guidelines and drills and spills to make approval and verification determinations on operating environments.
(((4)))(3) Ecology will count boom if it is appropriate to the operating environment and support equipment is identified. Support equipment for boom means transportation devices, cranes, anchors, boom tackle, connectors, work boats and operators.
(((5)))(4) Ecology will only count dedicated response resources towards the two hour standards.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-621Oil spill contingency plan best achievable protection five-year review cycle.
(1) Ecology will review the planning standards at five-year intervals to ensure the maintenance of best achievable protection to respond to a worst case spill and provide for continuous operation of oil spill response activities to the maximum extent practicable and without jeopardizing crew safety.
(2) Ecology will adopt a five-year review cycle to ensure that the planning standards are updated to include proven new response technologies and response processes. In addition plan holders and other interested parties will be provided an opportunity to present information and proposals regarding spill prevention credits to support an alternative worst case discharge volume for the contingency plan. The review cycle is designed to evaluate BAP by assessing contributing elements including:
(a) Best achievable technology;
(b) Staffing levels;
(c) Training procedures; and
(d) Operational methods.
(3) The review cycle will be used to evaluate a variety of spill operations, tools, and technologies including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Advancing systems for the removal of oil from the surface of the water;
(b) Improving the performance of existing skimmer/boom and storage systems technology;
(c) Improving the performance of in situ burn and dispersants technology;
(d) Broadening the environmental conditions under which oil spill cleanup can take place;
(e) Ensuring that the technology is deployable and effective in a real world spill environment; ((and))
(f) Considering tools or technology that are designed, produced, and manufactured in an energy-efficient process and products are reuseable, recyclable, and reduce waste; and
(g) Improving equipment and techniques associated with oiled wildlife response.
(4) Ecology may use the following processes to inform and update the use of BAP in the planning standards by:
(a) Convening an advisory committee(s) to assist ecology during the five-year review cycle and promote BAP.
(b) Evaluating the recovery systems identified in the technical manual during the five-year cycle to determine best achievable technology, and inform the development of future planning standards.
(c) Sponsoring a technology conference during the five-year cycle in cooperation with persons, organizations, and groups with interests and expertise in relevant technologies; or
(d) Conducting or reviewing studies, inquiries, surveys, or analyses appropriate to the consideration of new technologies, plan evaluation methods including EDRC, or best operational practices.
(5) Ecology may prepare reports following either of the actions described in subsection (4) of this section. These reports will identify the new technologies, processes, techniques or operational practices that ecology considers to represent BAP.
(6) Ecology will provide an opportunity for a thirty-day public review and comment period on ((the))any draft reports.
(7) Ecology will use the developed reports to update the contingency planning rule as necessary every five years.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-640Process for public notice and opportunity for public review and comment period.
(1) The purpose of this section is to specify the procedures for notifying the public which includes interested local and tribal governments about contingency plan status and decisions in order to provide opportunities for the public to review and comment.
(2) In order to receive notification of the public review and comment period, interested public, local, and tribal governments must sign up on the ecology email list (listserv) for posting notice about plan review and comment periods. Ecology's web site will also be used to post notice of public review and comment periods.
(3) Public comment periods must extend at least thirty days. Public notice, review, and comment periods are required in the following circumstances:
(a) Plan submittals for facilities or vessels that have never submitted a plan in Washington;
(b) Plan updates required by WAC 173-182-130 ((and 173-182-135));
(c) The submittal of plans for five-year review as required by WAC 173-182-120;
(d) Requests for an alternative planning standard in accordance with WAC 173-182-620;
(e) Plan holder requests for drill requirement waivers in accordance with WAC 173-182-740;
(f) PRC applications submitted under WAC 173-182-810;
(g) SMT and WRSP applications submitted under WAC 173-182-840; and
(h) Plan updates for permanent significant changes to approved plans as required in WAC 173-182-142.
(4) Public notice, review, and comment period are not required in the following circumstances:
(a) Routine updates to names, phone numbers, formatting, or forms that do not change the approved content of the plan;
(b) Plan updates to resubmit the binding agreement based on changes to the binding agreement signer; and
(c) Annual plan reviews that result in a letter to ecology confirming that the existing plan is still accurate.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-700Drill participation, scheduling and evaluation.
(1) Plan holders, spill management teams (SMTs), wildlife response service providers (WRSPs), and primary response contractors (PRCs) shall participate in a drill and equipment verification program for the purpose of ensuring that all contingency plan components function to provide, to the maximum extent practicable, prompt and proper removal of oil and minimization of damage from a variety of spill sizes. In Washington, a modified triennial cycle for drills, as found in the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP), is relied on to test each component of the plan.
(2) Plan holders and PRCs shall ensure ecology is provided an opportunity to help design and evaluate all tabletop and deployment drills for which the plan holder desires drill credit. To ensure this, plan holders shall schedule drills on the NWACP area exercise calendar. Scheduling requirements are noted in the table in WAC 173-182-710.
(3) Ecology shall mail a written drill evaluation report for drills to the plan holder following each deployment and tabletop drill. Credit will be granted for drill objectives that are successfully met.
(4) Objectives that are not successfully met shall be tested again and must be successfully demonstrated within the triennial cycle, except that significant failures will be retested within thirty days.
(5) Where plan deficiencies have been identified in the written evaluation, plan holders may be required to make specific amendments to the plan or conduct additional trainings to address the deficiencies.
(6) A plan holder may request an informal review with ecology of the ecology drill evaluation within thirty days of receipt of the report.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-21-046, filed 10/12/16, effective 11/12/16)
WAC 173-182-710Type and frequency of drills.
The following drills shall be conducted within each triennial cycle.
Type of Drill | Frequency Within the Triennial Cycle | Special Instructions | Scheduling Instructions |
Tabletop drills | 3 - One in each year of the cycle | One of the three shall involve a worst case discharge scenario. The worst case discharge scenario drill shall be conducted once every three years. | Must be scheduled at least 60 days in advance, except the worst case discharge scenario at least 90 days in advance. |
Deployment drills | 6 - Done two per year | These drills shall include, GRP deployments, testing of each type of equipment to demonstrating compliance with the planning standards. | Scheduled at least 30 days in advance. Except the tank vessel multiplan holder deployment drill which must be scheduled at least 60 days in advance. |
Ecology initiated unannounced drills | As necessary | This drill may involve testing any component of the plan, including notification procedures, deployment of personnel, boom, recovery and storage equipment and verification of ecology approved alternative vessel speeds. | No notice. |
ERTV Deployment Drill for covered vessels transiting the Strait of Juan de Fuca | 1 - One in each three year cycle, this is an additional deployment drill unless it is incorporated into a large multiobjective deployment drill. Credit for this drill may be achieved from a call out of the tug to a vessel emergency. | This drill may involve notifications and tug call out, communications safety, tug demonstration of making up to, stopping, holding, and towing a drifting or disabled vessel and holding position within one hundred feet of another vessel. | Scheduled at least 30 days in advance. |
Wildlife Deployment Drill | 1 - One in each three year cycle. This is an additional drill ((unless it is incorporated into a large multiobjective deployment drill)). | This drill will be a deployment of wildlife equipment and wildlife ((handlers))response service provider personnel. | Scheduled at least ((30))90 days in advance. |
((Tank vessel))Multiplan holder large scale equipment deployment drill | 1 - One in each three year cycle. | This drill may involve dedicated and nondedicated equipment, vessels of opportunity, multiple simultaneous tactics, responses to potentially nonfloating oils, and the verification of operational readiness over multiple operational periods. | Scheduled at least ((60))90 days in advance. |
(1) Tabletop drills: Tabletop drills are intended to demonstrate a plan holder's capability to manage a spill using the incident command system (ICS) and the spill management team described in the plan. Role playing shall be required in this drill. During all required tabletop drills plan holders must provide a master list of equipment and personnel identified to fill both command post and field operations roles. The master resources list must include:
(a) ((Western regional response))Worldwide Response Resource List identification numbers for ((all)) response resources; and
(b) Personnel names, affiliation, home base and command post or field role.
(2) Once during each three year cycle, the plan holder shall ensure that key members of the regional/national "away" team as identified in the plan shall be mobilized in state for a drill. However, at ecology's discretion, team members that are out-of-state may be evaluated in out-of-state tabletop drills if ecology has sufficient notice, an opportunity to participate in the drill planning process, and provided that the out-of-state drills are of similar scope and scale to what would have occurred in state. In this case, key away team members shall be mobilized in this state at least once every six years.
(3) Plan holders covering multiple vessels and ecology shall together design a systematic approach to, over time, involve all spill management teams identified in WAC 173-182-230 (6)(a) in tabletop and deployment drills as a best practice to demonstrate the preparedness of enrolled vessel members. These drills will be scheduled by the plan holder or unannounced to be conducted by ecology, at the discretion of ecology. These drills may test any plan components but at a minimum will include notification to the enrolled vessel qualified individual, coordination of supplemental resources under WAC 173-182-232 and the transition from the plan holder spill management team to the enrolled vessel company spill management team.
(4) Equipment deployment drills: Plan holders shall use deployment drills to demonstrate the actions they would take in a spill, including: Notifications, safety actions, environmental assessment, and response equipment deployment.
(a) During the triennial cycle, deployment drills shall include a combination of plan holder owned assets, contracted PRC assets, nondedicated assets, and vessels of opportunity.
(b) Plan holders should ensure that each type of dedicated equipment listed in the plan and personnel responsible for operating the equipment are tested during each triennial cycle. Plan holders must design drills that will demonstrate the ability to meet the planning standards, including recovery systems and system compatibility and the suitability of the system for the operating environment. Drills shall be conducted in all operating environments that the plan holder could impact from spills.
(c) At least twice during a triennial cycle, plan holders shall deploy a geographic response plan (GRP) strategy identified within the plan. If no GRPs exist for the operating area, plan holders will consult with ecology to determine alternative sensitive areas to protect.
(((d) Plan holders may request credit for the prebooming of an oil transfer provided the transfer is scheduled as a deployment on the drill calendar. Such credit may only be requested once per triennial cycle.))
(5) Plan holders may receive credit for deployment drills conducted by PRCs if:
(a) The PRC is listed in the plan; and
(b) The plan holder operates in the area, schedules on the drill calendar, and participates in or observes the drill.
(6) Additional large-scale multiple ((tank vessel)) plan holder equipment deployment drill requirement. At least once every three years all ((tank vessel)) plan holders((, including plan holders that enroll multiple tank vessels,)) must participate in a multiple plan holder large scale equipment deployment exercise. This drill is a test of the functional ability for multiple contingency plans to be simultaneously activated in response to a spill. This drill may be incorporated into other drill requirements to avoid increasing the number of drills and equipment deployments otherwise required. The exercise location will be selected by ecology to ensure all plan holders have the opportunity to get credit based on the areas they operate or transit.
(a) The exercise will be called once in each of the three regions over the triennial cycle. All plan holders that operate or transit the region will receive credit.
(b) At least one plan holder ((shall))may be the drill planning lead, participate in all the planning meetings, and observe the drill.
(c) This deployment may include the following objectives as applicable to the operating environment:
(((a)))(i) Demonstration of dedicated and nondedicated equipment and trained contracted personnel;
(((b)))(ii) Demonstration of contracted vessel of opportunity response systems and crew performing operations appropriate to the vessel capabilities;
(((c)))(iii) Demonstration of multiple simultaneous tactics including:
(((i)))(A) On-water recovery task forces made up of complete systems which demonstrate storage, recovery, and enhanced skimming;
(((ii)))(B) Protection task forces which deploy multiple GRPs;
(((iii)))(C) Vessel and personnel decontamination and disposal;
(((iv)))(D) Deployment of contracted aerial assessment assets and aerial observers to direct skimming operations; ((and
(v)))(E) Personnel and equipment identified for night operations((.
(d)));
(F) Equipment necessary to address situations where oils, depending on their qualities, weathering, environmental factors, and methods of discharge, may submerge and sink;
(G) Equipment and personnel to conduct monitoring and deterrence operations to prevent southern resident killer whales from encountering spilled oil; and
(H) Verification of the operational readiness during both the first six hours of a spill and over multiple operational periods.
(7) Additional deployment requirement for vessel plan holders with contracted access to the ERTV. Once every three years plan holders with contracted access to the ERTV must cosponsor a drill that includes deployment of the ERTV, unless ERTV drill credit has already been received under WAC 173-182-242 (((1)(e)))(2). This drill must be scheduled on the area exercise calendar. The drill shall include at a minimum:
(a) Notifications and tug call out;
(b) Safety and environmental assessment;
(c) Demonstration of making up to, stopping, holding, and towing a drifting or disabled vessel;
(d) Demonstration of the capability to hold position within one hundred feet of another vessel; and
(e) Communications.
(8) Additional deployment requirement for all plan holders. Once every three years plan holders must deploy ((regional mobile)) wildlife rehabilitation equipment and personnel necessary to set up the wildlife rehabilitation system found in the plan. This is an additional deployment drill unless it is incorporated into a large multiobjective deployment drill.
(9) For all plan holders, ecology may initiate scheduled inspections and unannounced deployment and tabletop drills.
(a) In addition to the drills listed above, ecology will implement a systematic scheduled inspection and unannounced drill program to survey, assess, verify, inspect or deploy response equipment listed in the plan. This program will be conducted in a way so that no less than fifty percent of the resources will be confirmed during the first triennial cycle, and the remaining fifty percent during the subsequent triennial cycle.
(b) Unannounced drills may be initiated by ecology when specific problems are noted with individual plan holders, or randomly, to strategically ensure that all operating environments, personnel and equipment readiness have been adequately tested.
(c) Unannounced notification drills are designed to test the ability to follow the notification and call-out process in the plan.
(d) Immediately prior to the start of an unannounced deployment or tabletop drill, plan holders will be notified in writing of the drill objectives, expectations and scenario.
(e) Plan holders may request to be excused if conducting the drill poses an unreasonable safety or environmental risk, or significant economic hardship. If the plan holder is excused, ecology will conduct an unannounced drill at a future time.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-20-035, filed 9/25/06, effective 10/26/06)
WAC 173-182-730Other ways to get drill credit.
(1) Plan holders may request drill credit for a response to an actual spill, provided that ecology has an opportunity to participate and evaluate the spill response. Credit from spills shall not entirely alleviate the plan holder's responsibility to drill.
(a) Credit for a spill may be used to replace the requirement to conduct a drill once per triennial cycle.
(b) If credit for a spill is requested more than once per triennial cycle, it is at the discretion of ecology if additional drill credit will be granted. Additional credit may be granted if there were lessons learned from the spill or if key response components were successfully demonstrated.
(2) To obtain credit, a written request to ecology shall be made within sixty days of completion of the cleanup operations.
(a) The request shall include documentation supporting the components of WAC 173-182-720.
(b) Plan holders shall have up to ninety days to submit a lessons learned summary supporting the request for drill credit.
(((2)))(3) Plan holders may request drill credit for out-of-state tabletop drills if:
(a) Ecology has been invited to attend the drill;
(b) Ecology has an opportunity to participate in the planning process for the drill. There shall be a meeting to discuss the scope and scale of the exercise, the drill objectives and the types of criteria for which Washington credit may be applicable;
(c) Documentation of the drill and self certification documentation shall be provided to ecology within thirty days of the drill;
(d) The plan holder has one response plan for a number of facilities or a fleet of vessels; and
(e) Plan holders seeking credit for a scheduled out-of-state drill shall notify ecology in writing ninety days in advance, to provide ecology an opportunity to participate.
PART IV: PRIMARY RESPONSE CONTRACTOR (PRC), SPILL MANAGEMENT TEAM (SMT), AND WILDLIFE RESPONSE SERVICE PROVIDER (WRSP) STANDARDS
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-800Primary response contractor (PRC) application.
(1) To become a state-approved PRC, a response contractor must:
(a) Submit an application as set forth in ((subsection (2) of this section))WAC 173-182-810;
(b) Have a process to provide twenty-four hour/day contact for spill response;
(c) Commit to begin mobilization efforts immediately upon notification but no later than one hour from notification of a spill;
(d) Maintain equipment in accordance with manufacturer specifications;
(e) Identify and train staff and supervisors expected to be deployed on oil spill response tactics or used to meet plan holder planning standards;
(f) Assist plan holders in meeting the requirements for plans and drills in Washington; and
(g) List response equipment on the ((western regional response))Worldwide Response Resource List currently located at ((www.wrrl.us))www.wrrl.world, or provide an equivalent electronic equipment list and commit to maintaining the equipment list in whatever format is provided.
(2) To apply, a contractor should complete, sign and submit the application form number ECY 070-216.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-810Content submittal and review of primary response contractor (PRC) applications.
The PRC application must contain the following information as applicable to the capabilities of the PRC:
(1) A list of primary response contractor personnel indicating whether they are full-time, part-time, or subcontracted including their homebase or office location, and the spill management team roles or tactical roles they may fill in a response.
(a) If personnel are available to the primary response contractor via subcontract a summary of the contract terms for personnel resources should be included in the application. The contract shall be made available to ecology upon request.
(b) A list of all staff training, including training of subcontractors if applicable, and a description of the frequency of essential core training response staff receive.
(c) The training program must be specific to the tactics the PRC intends to perform. Include in the application details about the following training areas as applicable:
(i) Safety training;
(ii) Training on-site safety assessment;
(iii) Assessment of environmental conditions;
(iv) Determination that response equipment ((is))and personnel protective equipment are appropriate for the incident conditions;
(v) Air monitoring equipment and documentation; and
(vi) Development of a hazard worksheet.
(d) Additional training as necessary for personnel that may be relied upon to perform these tasks:
(i) Conducting site safety briefings;
(ii) Use and deployment of limited visibility tracking devices;
(iii) Utilization and coordination of communications equipment;
(iv) Transfer of a product from skimmer to on-water and shoreside storage;
(v) Containment of a land spill from entering water by channeling, diverting, or berming;
(vi) Fast water river response strategies;
(vii) High current marine response strategies;
(viii) GRP or protection strategy familiarization and deployment;
(ix) Anchoring and setting boom;
(x) Familiarization and deployment of PRC owned oiled-wildlife rehabilitation equipment;
(xi) On water recovery including enhanced skimming;
(xii) Directing field resources;
(xiii) Incident command system training for spill management team roles.
(2) A list of all communication assets by type and location. The frequencies and geographical ranges must be included. This list must be maintained and if not included in the application made available to ecology upon request.
(3) A list of response equipment must be submitted electronically to ecology or via ((western response resource))Worldwide Response Resource List, at ((www.wrrl.us))www.wrrl.world, containing the following information:
(a) All equipment must be given a unique company identifier, and this identifier must be submitted on the list provided to ecology.
(b) Equipment must include the minimum number of personnel required to operate successfully for one shift.
(c) The location the equipment is stored using latitude/longitude in the WGS 1984 coordinate system. The coordinates must be in decimal degree format.
(d) The type of equipment, including manufacturer's name, manufacture date, model and specifications.
(e) For boom, list the length, manufacturer's name, model, size, and date of manufacture.
(f) For oil recovery devices state the manufacturer's name, model, EDRC or approved alternative, manufacture date, and operating environment.
(g) For temporary storage list the maximum capacity in barrels.
(h) For workboats list the vessel name and/or identifier, length, and vessel type, manufacturer, engine type(s) and horsepower.
(4) A detailed description of the vessel of opportunity program.
(5) A detailed description of other response technologies systems available such as in situ burn, bioremediants, and other chemical agents.
(6) A detailed description of any wildlife ((rescue and rehabilitation))response resources. Include a list of contracts or agreements with any trained wildlife ((rescue and rehabilitation))response personnel.
(7) A detailed description of equipment and personnel that would be used for shoreline cleanup. This should include a description of training resources for additional clean-up personnel.
(8) A list of agreements for access to shoreside storage. Include the owner, location, and general estimate of volume.
(9) A list of agreements for fixed wing and rotary aircraft used to support spill clean-up operations.
(10) A detailed description of remote sensing equipment and aerial surveillance resources and personnel that the primary response contractor has under contract or letter of intent that could be used to detect and track the extent and movement of oil or direct on-water recovery operations.
(11) Once an application is received, ecology will determine whether it is complete. If not, the response contractor shall be notified of deficiencies in writing and given a time period for submitting the required information.
(12) Equipment and personnel readiness will be verified once the application is approved. Ecology may inspect equipment, training records, maintenance records, drill records, and may request a test of the call-out procedures, and require operation of each type of equipment listed in the application. These inspections may be conducted at any/all equipment locations. Any resources not on-site at the time of an inspection shall be accounted for by company records.
(13) If the application is approved and the verification is satisfactory, the contractor shall receive a letter of approval describing the terms of approval, including expiration dates and EDRC of the recovery equipment. PRC approvals will be reviewed by ecology every three years. Applications shall be resubmitted forty-five calendar days in advance of the expiration date.
(14) Once the PRC application is approved, the PRC must certify in writing on a quarterly basis that the list of equipment the contractor maintains in their application or on the WRRL is accurate. Any contractor that doesn't maintain their list on the WRRL, must resubmit their electronic list on a quarterly basis.
(15) Notification by facsimile or email will be considered written notice.
(16) Failure to certify the accuracy of the equipment list on a quarterly basis may result in the loss of PRC approval.
(17) If the application is not approved, the contractor shall receive an explanation of the factors for disapproval and a list of actions to be taken to gain approval.
(18) Approval of a response contractor by ecology does not constitute an express assurance regarding the adequacy of the contractor nor constitute a defense to liability imposed under state law.
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 13-01-054, filed 12/14/12, effective 1/14/13)
WAC 173-182-820Significant changes to primary response contractor (PRC) applications require notification.
(1) The PRC is responsible to provide written notification to ecology and all plan holders to whom they are obligated, within twenty-four hours, of any significant change in the information reported in the approved application. The notice shall include the identification of back up resources sufficient to maintain the PRC readiness level, and the estimated date that the original equipment shall be back in full service.
(2) Changes which are considered significant include:
(a) Loss of equipment that results in being out of compliance with any planning standard of any plan holder covered by the PRC;
(b) Transfers of equipment to support spill response for out-of-region spills;
(c) If greater than ten percent of available boom, storage, recovery, dispersants, in situ burn or shoreline clean-up equipment is moved out of the home base, except for a drill or training, as depicted on the WRRL;
(d) Permanent loss of primary response contractor personnel identified to fill ICS positions for plan holders;
(e) Changes in equipment ownership if used to satisfy a plan holder planning standard; or
(f) Modification or discontinuing of any mutual aid, letter of intent, or contract agreement.
(3) Notification by ((facsimile or)) email will be considered written notice.
(4) Failure to report changes could result in the loss of PRC approval.
(5) If ecology determines that PRC approval conditions found in WAC 173-182-800 are no longer met, approval may be revoked. The PRC will receive a written notice of the loss of approval and a time period to either appeal or correct the deficiency.
(6) Ecology will immediately notify plan holders of changes in the approval status of PRCs or significant changes in PRC capability.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-182-830Spill management team (SMT) and wildlife response service provider (WRSP) application requirements.
Requirements to become a state-approved spill management team or wildlife response service provider, including:
(1) Submission of an application as set forth in WAC 173-182-840;
(2) Have a process to provide twenty-four-hour/day contact for spill management;
(3) Commit to begin mobilization efforts immediately upon notification but no later than two hours from notification of a spill;
(4) Commit to ensuring the incident commander is able to arrive in the state within six hours after notification of a spill, if the SMT is contracted to fill the role;
(5) Assist plan holders in meeting the requirements for plans and drills in Washington;
(6) Commit to the implementation and use of the contingency plan(s) to which they are contracted during a spill and substantial threat of a spill, and to the training of personnel to implement the plan;
(7) Commit to working in unified command within the incident command system to ensure that all personnel and equipment resources necessary to the response will be called out to cleanup the spill safely and to the maximum extent practicable.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-182-840Content submittal and review of spill management team (SMT) and wildlife response service provider (WRSP) applications.
The application must contain the following information as applicable to the capabilities of the SMT or WRSP:
(1) A list of personnel indicating whether they are full-time or part-time, dedicated, or nondedicated, including their home base or office location, and the roles they may fill in a response.
(a) Dedicated means either a full- or part-time employee of the organization.
(b) Nondedicated means any personnel resource available under contract, LOI, or other approvable means. Nondedicated relationships shall be verified by ecology during the application review process.
(2) An ICS Form 207 organizational diagram depicting a potential staffing plan for the roles the SMT or WRSP may fill in support of a worst case spill.
(3) A description of the twenty-four hour call-out process and estimated time frames for arrival in state. The description of the personnel response times (arrival) is based on the standby or call back status of the person, their home base, and travel time.
(4) A list of staff training by position, and a description of the frequency of training staff receive.
(a) The training program must be position specific for the roles that may be filled by the SMT or WRSP.
(b) The training program must include at a minimum, training on ICS, NWACP plan policies and response tools, use and location of GRPs, the contents of the contingency plan, and worker health and safety, as appropriate to the role.
(c) A combination of training and experience in drills and spills may be used to describe SMT personnel capabilities within response roles.
(d) New employees shall complete the training program prior to being assigned job responsibilities which require participation in emergency response situations.
(5) Wildlife response service providers must also include a detailed description of the types of wildlife response activities that may be provided, such as initial wildlife assessment, reconnaissance, deterrence, capture, stabilization, and rehabilitation. Any other capabilities and personnel resources shall also be detailed in the application including:
(a)(i) Identification of personnel that hold wildlife rehabilitation permits with oiled wildlife endorsements.
(ii) A copy of the permit shall be submitted with the application, or a statement indicating that the permit will be made available to ecology for review upon request.
(b) Identification of personnel capable of filling the wildlife branch director role or other command post support roles.
(c) Identification of wildlife operations field staff to conduct and manage the various field aspects of a wildlife response including reconnaissance, deterrence, recovery, stabilization, and rehabilitation.
(d) Specific training relevant to key wildlife response roles and capabilities the wildlife contractor may support and a detailed position specific training plan. A combination of training and experience in drills and spills may be used to describe personnel capabilities within response roles.
(6) Once an application is received, ecology will determine whether it is complete. If the application is not complete, the SMT or WRSP shall be notified of deficiencies in writing and given a time period for submitting the required information.
(7) Ecology shall inspect employee training records and conduct a test of the SMT or WRSP call-out procedures.
(8) If the verification is satisfactory and the application is approved, the SMT or WRSP shall receive a letter of approval describing the terms of approval, including expiration dates.
(9) Application approvals will be reviewed by ecology every three years. Applications shall be resubmitted forty-five calendar days in advance of the expiration date.
(10) If the application is not approved, the SMT or WRSP shall receive an explanation of the factors for disapproval and a list of actions to be taken to gain approval.
(11) Approval by ecology does not constitute an express assurance regarding the adequacy of the SMT or WRSP nor constitute a defense to liability imposed under state law.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-182-850Significant changes in spill management team (SMT) or wildlife response service provider (WRSP) applications require notification.
(1) The SMT or WRSP is responsible to provide written notification to ecology and all plan holders to whom they are obligated, within twenty-four hours, of any significant change in the information reported in the approved application.
(2) Changes which are considered significant include:
(a) Permanent loss of personnel identified to fill ICS positions for plan holders;
(b) Modification or discontinuing of any mutual aid, letter of intent, or contract agreement;
(c) Change in personnel availability due to personnel being out of their regular homeport or office location to support a spill response.
(3) Notification by email will be considered written notice.
(4) Failure to report changes could result in the loss of approval.
(5) If ecology determines that application approval conditions found in WAC 173-182-840 are no longer met, approval may be revoked. The SMT or WRSP will receive a written notice of the loss of approval and a time period to either appeal or correct the deficiency.
(6) Ecology will immediately notify plan holders of changes in the approval status of the application or significant changes in SMT or WRSP capability.
REPEALER
The following sections of the Washington Administrative Code are repealed:
WAC 173-182-135 | Phase in language for pipeline plan holders. |
WAC 173-182-323 | Planning standards for pipelines carrying crude oil. |
WAC 173-182-520 | Facility planning standards for shoreline cleanup. |