Partnerships in Emergency Prevention and Preparedness
To effectively prepare for and respond to an environmental emergency such as a major oil spill, inter-agency collaboration is necessary. Partnerships enable spill response agencies to share knowledge and resources, allowing for greater preparedness. The Ministry of Environment participates in various partnerships to increase the Province’s spill prevention and response capacity. These partnerships are outlined below.
Environmental Emergency Partnerships
Pacific States/BC Oil Spill Task Force
The focus of the Pacific States – BC Oil Spill Task Force is on fostering regulatory consistency, sharing information and resources, and coordinating development and implementation of new policies and programs to reduce the risk and impact of marine oil spills. Members of the task force include BC, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. Formed after the Nestucca and Exxon Valdez spills highlighted concerns shared by neighbouring jurisdictions, the task force encourages cooperation across borders.
Marine Spill Prevention Co-operation Agreement
An agreement between the province of BC (Ministry of Environment) and Washington State (Department of Ecology) respecting cooperation on initiatives aimed at reducing spills along the west coast.
West Coast Marine Oil Spill Reporting (1-800-OILS-911)
The “Spills aren’t Slick” campaign is a joint effort by BC, Washington, Oregon and California to provide a single reporting number for spills on the Pacific West Coast. The purpose of this single reporting number is to increase the number of spills that are reported through international collaboration.
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