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
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.
