PMSA Oil Spill Response Plan First to be Approved by California OSPR.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1999--

California regulators have issued an approval for the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association's (PMSA) oil spill response plan, the first plan to be approved under a new state law that requires non-tank vessels to meet tougher spill response requirements.

Vessel owners and operators enrolled in the PMSA program can now cite the plan to meet all of their spill response requirements under the new California law.

"We're extremely pleased to be the first organization able to provide ship owners and operators with full coverage under the new law," said PMSA President John McLaurin after learning that the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) had approved the associations plan, pending approval of final regulations. OSPR is the state agency charged with oversight and enforcement of the new law. The law was passed by the California legislature and signed into law by then Governor Wilson in 1998.

The new law goes into effect on September 1, but OSPR has extended compliance with its regulations until after their approval by the California Office of Administrative Law. According to OSPR, absent relevant regulatory changes, the PMSA plan will be approved based on current staff review, without further revisions.

McLaurin said a lot of time, energy and hard work by a highly qualified team of California spill response organizations went into making the PMSA program "one that works for both California and the shipping industry."

He said PMSA's California Spill Response Program is designed to fully comply with the new law's spill response planning and spill response contractor resource requirements. "Our program is easy for owners and operators to prepare. And it frees them from the red tape, hassle and administrative costs of developing and maintaining a plan, lining up capable response contractors, and monitoring the program." McLaurin said. "Our program takes care of those needs for them," he said.

All-California Team

PMSA's new service has the largest collection of dedicated oil spill response equipment and response expertise in California, including individuals who have managed recovery and cleanup efforts of some of the largest spills in the state over the past two decades. All of the organizations comprising the team are California-based or have extensive operations in the State.

A veteran team of nonprofit spill response organizations, including the Clean Bay spill response cooperative of Oakland/San Francisco and Clean Coastal Waters of Los Angeles/Long Beach, as well as Clean Seas of Carpinteria, head PMSA's team of spill responders.

The team also includes Foss Environmental, an environmental response company that has statewide on-water and on-shore spill cleanup capabilities, and ERST/O'Brien, a response company based in Brea, California, that provides spill and crisis management services to the team. ERST is the only spill management company designated by the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response as a Primary Response Action Contractor for Oil Spill Management Services.

Another team member, NJ Resources of Long Beach, helped PMSA draft the plan that was approved by OSPR. NJ Resources will continue to work with the PMSA to monitor the law and assist in implementing the program.

"Our program is unique," McLaurin noted. "It differs from alternative programs in many critical respects, including offering statewide coverage, the largest collection of dedicated resources, and 24-hour-a-day crewed vessels located in major port areas and the central California coast."

"There's much at stake, both in terms of potential civil and criminal penalties if a spill response is not conducted properly," McLaurin explained. "Our plan and program provide enrolled members with access to the best resources in California should they ever have a spill."

PMSA's program covers every major port on the coast, including San Diego, the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Port Hueneme, Richmond, Oakland, Redwood City, San Francisco and Humboldt. The program also provides spill response coverage inland, including at the Ports of Sacramento and Stockton.

"We're very proud of the quality of the organizations that make up the PMSA program and of the capability and flexibility this program provides," McLaurin said.

PMSA is a nonprofit maritime association based in San Francisco, whose members include ship owners, operators and agents from both California and the international shipping community. Ship owners and operators wanting more information about PMSA's spill response program, or the new state law, should contact McLaurin at 415/352-0710.