Oil Spills

Improving Oil Spill Preparedness and Response

Since 2005 CCKA has urged top state officials to dedicate more funds to oil spill prevention (Read Department of Finance Audit). The Bay and the ocean paid the price for their failure to do so. On November 7th, 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan struck the Bay Bridge and released approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay and along the coastline outside the Golden Gate Bridge.

As a Senate appointee to the Department of Fish and Game's Oil Spill Prevention and Response Technical Advisory Committee (OSPR TAC), CCKA was tapped almost immediately following the Bay oil spill by the media and government decision makers for information on the Department of Fish and Game's oil spill prevention and response program. CCKA testified at both Assembly and Senate hearings on the spill, participated in numerous print and televised media events, and provided key information on request to both administrative and legislative decision makers with regard to OSPR's operations over the last several years. Click to read CCKA's testimony.

CCKA was pleased to serve the public as the appointed Environmental Community Representative to the Coast Guard's Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) for the Cosco Busan spill. This ISPR process is initiated only for major spill events; the last ISPR performed for an oil spill occurred in Texas over a decade ago. CCKA, as part of the ISPR team, investigated the Coast Guard and other agency and stakeholder responses to the oil spill in detail. Click here to read Phase I ISPR Report. CCKA's work is already being used throughout the country to help improve oil spill response preparedness and response.

Enacting Legislation to Protect California Waters from Future Spills

Working together with conservation and fishing group allies in the fight to protect California's waters from future oil spills, CCKA is supporting a suite of legislative bills proposed by Assembly Members Wolk, Huffman, Leno, Lieber, Nava, and Hancock, and Senator Migden. This suite of bills will reform policies that govern oil spill preparedness and response. CCKA is specifically sponsoring AB 2912 (Wolk), which sets up an inland oil spill prevention and response program similar to the marine program, There is currently no single agency with Incident Command authority, dedicated funding, adequate staffing, or clear jurisdiction over the response and prevention activities needed to address inland spills (non-marine waters). AB 2912 would address this critical gap in state oil spill readiness and provide needed protection for California's waterways...

California Coastkeeper Alliance

PO Box 3156, Fremont CA 94539