Improving Oil Spill Response for the Bay

Responding to the Dubai Star Oil Spill

Baykeeper worked to monitor response and cleanup efforts to the Dubai Star bunker fuel spill of October 30, 2009. Read more about our efforts.

The Dubai Star oil spill impacted a number of state-designated sensitive sites. See a map here.

Responding to the Cosco Busan Oil Spill

On November 7, 2007, the Cosco Busan container ship collided with the Bay Bridge, spilling nearly 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay. The widespread impact of that spill clearly demonstrated the importance of reforming policy and procedures at the federal, state and local level. Baykeeper is now working to change the laws and policy that govern oil spill prevention and response so that primary responders and local communities are prepared to deal with future oil spills in the Bay.

Baykeeper participated in the Coast Guard's Incident Specific Preparedness Review to analyze the Cosco Busan oil spill incident. Providing our expertise as the pollution watchdog for the Bay, Baykeeper helped develop a comprehensive report with 190 specific recommendations for future oil spills. Download the full report here.

Since then, we've advocated for the implemtation of these recommendations in order to acheive major improvements in response measures to oil spills in San Francisco Bay. Baykeeper is the only non-governmental agency involved in working with the Area Committee, the local government committee charged with developming oil spill response policies for the Bay. We are also an alternate on the San Francisco Bay Region Harbor Safety Committee, and we have an appointed position on the technical advisory committee for the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

Our advocacy so far has resulted in the drafting of an innovative plan to utilize volunteers and local government representatives into the oil spill planning process (in fact, the plan may be replicated by the Coast Guard in port communities across the country). 

Baykeeper's Top Priorities for Oil Spill Policy Reform

In our work responding to the Cosco Busan oil spill and through our subsequent investigations, Baykeeper has identified several key priorities for oil spill policy reform, including the following:

Prioritize the most critical ecological sites for immediate protection. 
The Area Contingency Plan identifies 232 sensitive ecological sites around the Bay. These sites should be evaluated based on strict ecological criteria to identify which are most critical to the healthy functioning of the San Francisco Bay and coastal ecosystems so that they can be prioritized for emergency response measures.

Prepare response plans at the local level.
Response agencies at the county and municipal level should develop Local Plans in conjunction with the San Francisco Area Contingency Plan (which governs regional emergency response for the Bay Area). Resources available through local agencies and mutual aid alliances – such as trained staff and cleanup materials – should be inventoried so that they are taken into account and utilized during an emergency response. 

Local agencies also should participate in the design, execution and evaluation of emergency response drills for priority ecological sites within their jurisdictions.  These drills should be designed to test challenging situations such as spring tides and low visibility.

Prevent a breakdown of communication from state to local agencies.
The State Office of Emergency Services should be tasked with notifying and updating the Regional Office of Emergency Services, which should in turn notify and coordinate the activities of local response agencies.

Make use of incoming information.
The Unified Command (the committee in charge of implementing the Area Contingency Plan in case of an emergency) must actively seek, evaluate and act upon information from the field. This is particularly important in low visibility situations when information from overhead flights is not available. Radio channels used by fishing boats should be monitored by Vessel Traffic Service (an operation of the US Coast Guard, meant to coordinate the safe transit of vessels in the San Francisco Bay) and reported through the Coast Guard to the Unified Command. A hotline for public reports of oil and oiled wildlife should be operational immediately but no later than 90 minutes after a spill occurs.