U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay: Response to Rail Incidents Planning Project

Abstract

ABSTRACT: IOSC 2017-124 This paper presents solutions to a new oil spill problem in U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Delaware Bay (Sector) area of responsibility (AOR), the need for which became apparent during recent energy production growth in the region. Two projects were initiated by the Sector to ensure regional preparedness for response to unconventional crude oil spills that affect the maritime domain, in the rapidly changing North American energy renaissance:Identification of rail/water nexus sites and response measures, andModified Consensus Ecological Risk Assessment (CERA) The overall goals of the projects were to identify major threats from rail incidents, analyze potential transportation and spill risks associated with Bakken, bitumen, and diluted bitumen, herein known as domestic crude oil products, and document best practices and response strategies with input from stakeholders in a complex tri-state region consisting of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. For these domestic crude oils, the Sector initiated an Area Contingency Plan (ACP) revision to incorporate oil spill booming strategies and pre-scripted Incident Command System (ICS) work assignments. The revision identified 38 rail/water nexus sites and incorporated a modified Consensus Ecological Risk Assessment (CERA), which defined and predicted localized spill behaviors and consequences for the unconventional crude oils in marine, brackish water, and freshwater environments of the Delaware Bay Watershed. While domestic crude oil products are studied further at the national and international levels, the Sector focused on working alongside regional partners from the Oil and Natural Gas (ONG) industry, the Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) community, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Scientific Support Coordinator, and other relevant subject matter experts. Together, they worked to define best management practices (BMPs) for first responders and incorporate new policy and guidelines (i.e., non-floating Oils OSRO Classification and Bakken/Dilbit Oil Spill First Responder Guides) into local contingency plans, policies, and procedures (Csulak and Michel, 2015a, 2015b). The USCG must consider and manage all potential risks to transportation safety and the marine environment from pollution. To ensure that the USCG is most prepared to respond to all potential pollution sources, as directed by the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), Sector Delaware Bay’s rail incident planning process is presented as a template for updating ACPs across USCG Captain of the Port (COTP) zones.