Event Title

Preventing small oil spills through transboundary coordination – the story of the Pacific Oil Spill Prevention and Education Team (POSPET)

Presentation Abstract

The Pacific Oil Spill Prevention and Education Team (POSPET), founded in 1991, is a collaboration of educators and outreach personnel from four Western U.S. states and the province of British Columbia. POSPET evolved from the simple premise that small oil spills can add up to cause significant environmental and economic harm, and that regional collaboration and coordination is the most efficient approach for addressing the problem.

POSPET members include representatives from state and federal agencies, industry associations and nonprofit groups from Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and British Columbia. For more than a decade, POSPET members have focused on educating boaters and marina managers on best management practices to reduce spills resulting from maintenance operations, sewage discharge, and fuel transfer operations. Two of the most visible programs undertaken by POSPET members include tracking and certifying “Clean Marinas” and “Clean Harbors”, and running the “Spills aren’t Slick” campaign, including publicizing 1-800-OILS-911, a toll-free number for the public to report spills.

POSPET is an arm of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force, which was formed in 1989 in response to the Exxon Valdez and Nestucca spills to coordinate, support and enhance oil spill prevention and response efforts across the West Coast.

This presentation will provide a short history of POSPET, and will highlight success stories from POSPET members, including but not limited to the Clean Marine BC Eco-Certification program and Washington Sea Grant’s small spills program.

Session Title

Fossil Fuel Export Panel

Conference Track

Fate and Effects of Pollutants

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Oil spills--Environmental aspects--Pacific Coast (North America); Oil spills--Pacific Coast (North America)--Prevention; Oil pollution of water--Pacific Coast (North America); Marine pollution--International cooperation

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

States/British Columbia Task Force on Oil Spills

Geographic Coverage

Pacific Coast (America)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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COinS
 
Jan 1st, 12:00 AM Jan 1st, 12:00 AM

Preventing small oil spills through transboundary coordination – the story of the Pacific Oil Spill Prevention and Education Team (POSPET)

2016SSEC

The Pacific Oil Spill Prevention and Education Team (POSPET), founded in 1991, is a collaboration of educators and outreach personnel from four Western U.S. states and the province of British Columbia. POSPET evolved from the simple premise that small oil spills can add up to cause significant environmental and economic harm, and that regional collaboration and coordination is the most efficient approach for addressing the problem.

POSPET members include representatives from state and federal agencies, industry associations and nonprofit groups from Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and British Columbia. For more than a decade, POSPET members have focused on educating boaters and marina managers on best management practices to reduce spills resulting from maintenance operations, sewage discharge, and fuel transfer operations. Two of the most visible programs undertaken by POSPET members include tracking and certifying “Clean Marinas” and “Clean Harbors”, and running the “Spills aren’t Slick” campaign, including publicizing 1-800-OILS-911, a toll-free number for the public to report spills.

POSPET is an arm of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force, which was formed in 1989 in response to the Exxon Valdez and Nestucca spills to coordinate, support and enhance oil spill prevention and response efforts across the West Coast.

This presentation will provide a short history of POSPET, and will highlight success stories from POSPET members, including but not limited to the Clean Marine BC Eco-Certification program and Washington Sea Grant’s small spills program.