A Decision-making Process for the Election of a Tier II Oil Spill Response Mechanism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Trinidad and Tobago has been involved in the oil industry for quite some time now. This twin-island Caribbean state recently celebrated 100 years of commercial oil production. The first Trinidad oil well was drilled in 1857, two years before the Drake well in Pennsylvania. With respect to oil spills, the largest vessel-related oil spill took place just off Tobago in 1979 as a result of a collision between two Very Large Crude Carriers. Fortunately, the first National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) was developed just two years prior and its activation assisted with Tier III management of this incident. This history surely warrants a robust in-country system for preparedness and response to oil spill events. The 1977 NOSCP instituted a system for the management of Tier II incidents based on assignment of Marine Areas of responsibility to oil companies and the Coast Guard. However, with the proliferation of operators since 1977, this system proved to be unsustainable. Alternative systems were evaluated in 2009 based on an environmental assessment tool known as Multi Attribute Utility Theory that enabled a level of objectivity. The process culminated with a recommendation of two possible systems that would be favorable to the Trinidad and Tobago context. One system was a Tier II system operated and controlled primarily by the Government and the other was a system operated by the oil and gas companies operating in Trinidad and Tobago. In the final analysis, and with counsel, the operator-led system was chosen as the most suitable system for Trinidad and Tobago. This upgraded Tier II system was incorporated in the revised Trinidad and Tobago NOSCP which was approved by Cabinet on January 31, 2013. This paper will present the process of decision-making employed in this matter by a committee composed of Government and energy sector companies in order to enable other countries in the Caribbean and beyond to employ a useful environmental assessment tool to assist in their own decision-making processes.