| Task Forces |
Cultural and Historic Preservation
The National Programmatic Agreement for National Contingency Plan responses outlines expectations for the protection of historic and cultural artifacts during an emergency response. This Task Force will work to improve interagency coordination and NW Area Contingency Plan language regarding the implementation of the Programmatic Agreement. Key participants are the State Historic Preservation Officers and Federal On Scene Coordinator and Natural Resource Trustee agencies.
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Derelict Vessels
Derelict vessels present an ongoing pollution threat. This Task Force is tracking and prioritizing specific derelict vessels for cleanup as well as identifying regulatory tools and regulatory gaps for addressing the threat.
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Dispersants and In Situ Burn
This Task Force will develop a standard dispersant decision memo and improve the dispersant use checklist that currently exists in the NW Area Contingency Plan.
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General Community Outreach and Liaison
Improving stakeholder awareness of the NW Area Contingency Plan and environmental emergency response is a continual challenge for the NW Area Committee. This Task Force will develop key messages and outreach materials targeting local government officials in high risk counties.
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Geographic Response Plans/ Advanced Recovery
This Task Force will create tactical guidance for areas between open water response and shoreline response which are not currently covered by GRPs. The Task Force will also draft language regarding this issue for the next NW Area Contingency Plan revision.
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Places of Refuge
When vessels become disabled, the Captain of the Port is required to determine the best location to take them. This Task Force is developing decision tools to assist the Captains in determining the location which will result in the least impact.
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Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique
Most oil spills involve some degree of shoreline oiling. This Task Force will classify marine shoreline types and develop initial pre-approved cleanup strategies for each shoreline type.
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Wildlife Plan Update
This task force is responsible for updating Chapter 9970 (Wildlife Response Plan) of the Northwest Area Contingency Plan. This task force will be responsible for describing the type and number of personnel needed to conduct oiled wildlife response, developing hazing plans for marine mammals and birds, and performing a technical edit of the existing Wildlife Response Plan
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