Summer 1998
AREA EXERCISES TEACH VALUABLE LESSONS
OPS helped plan and evaluate area drills in the Deep South, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. As a drill participant
aptly put it, each player makes you see your work from a different perspective.
SUN IN MISSISSIPPI
April 20 - 22 found Melanie Barber from OPS Headquarters and Derick Turner from the Southern Region in Oxford, MS
for an OPS area drill with Sun Pipe Line at Sardis Lake. Key players represented the EPA, the Corps of Engineers,
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the Sheriff's
Department, and University of Mississippi journalism students portraying an aggressive media pool. The State and Federal
representatives had worked together at the February 12 EOTT and April 9 Southland table tops in South Mississippi and at
the March 25 Sun Agency planning meeting. These bonds strengthened the area drill and readiness to respond to oil spills in
Mississippi. Edith Coen from Sun said, "The drill was successful because there was none of the my daddy can beat up your
daddy. All the children played well together. One of the twists in the scenario that required extra coordination was having
the spill come from a pipeline running under a lake for which the Corps of Engineers is the trustee. Sun deployed boom in
Sardis Bay without disrupting fishing in Sardis Lake. Dedication to bringing all resources needed to solving the problem
and a diverse team working well together were two of the hallmarks of the Sun drill."
BUCKEYE IN CONNECTICUT
Phil Nguyen, an OPS Eastern Region inspector, went to the Nutmeg State Capitol on April 30 to take part in an EPA area
drill with Buckeye in Hartford, CT. Lessons learned included the need to improve communications from the field to
headquarters and clarifying unified command roles and responsibilities. Participants represented the County Emergency
Management Office, the City Fire Department and its hazardous material response unit, City Police, State and County
Departments of Environmental Protection, the EPA, and the Coast Guard. Buckeye put booms in the river, employed heavy
equipment at the leak, used emergency breathing equipment, and simulated repairs on a piece of pipe.
TEXACO IN WASHINGTON STATE
The Coast Guard led an area drill with Texaco off the coast of Washington State in Anacortes. Texaco and Shell are
merging some of their downstream operations, which meant that one of the challenges was to figure out the corporate
entities to which the industry participants were or may be assigned. The Texaco team working on the May 10 - 14 drill
would be Olympic Pipeline's secondary response team in a major spill. Olympic will conduct an area exercise with OPS
September 8 - 10, 1998 at Arco's facility near Bellingham, Washington. The September drill will build on lessons learned at
the Texaco drill. Like the Sun and Buckeye exercises, the Texaco drill strengthened bonds responders forged at drills.
Participants included the Coast Guard, the Washington Department of Ecology, the County Emergency Management
Agency, and the Sheriff.
The scenario involved the controversial practice of in-situ burning near residential areas. The Coast Guard and OPS were
able to take pictures and to evaluate the boom deployed in Samish Bay from a Coast Guard reservist's plane. Joe Haley
from Texaco noted, "Having the opportunity to work with the agency personnel who would respond to real spills was very
valuable. There were minor problems, such as radio frequencies, that had to be worked out but overall it was an excellent
drill."
JUNE THROUGH OCTOBER 1998 TABLE TOP AND AREA EXERCISES |
DATE |
COMPANY |
CITY |
STATE |
AREA/TABLE TOP |
June 3 |
Kenab Pipe Line Co. |
Wichita |
KS |
Table Top |
July 1 |
Kiantone Pipe Line |
Warren |
PA |
Table Top |
July 9 |
Clark Oil Refining
Corp. |
Hartford |
IL |
Table Top |
August 18 |
Belle Fourche Pipeline |
Casper |
WY |
Table Top |
September 1 - 2 |
Portland Pipeline |
Newport |
VT |
Table Top |
September 3 |
Texaco Aviation Fuel
Facility |
Miami |
FL |
Table Top |
September 8 - 10 |
Olympic Pipeline |
Bellingham |
WA |
Area Drill |
September 15 |
Ultramar, Diamond
Shamrock, Total
Petroleum |
Bay City |
MI |
Table Top |
To be announced |
Koch Gathering
Systems |
To be announced |
Table Top |
October |
Crown Central
Petroleum |
Houston |
TX |
Table Top |
October 20 |
Union Pacific |
Bishop |
TX |
Table Top |
OPS RESPONSE PLAN REGULATION
On Christmas Eve, 1997, Santa had his elves at OPS change the requirement for filing oil spill response plans from three
years to five. This was so operators could file their OPS plans or their one plans the same year they file plans with the Coast
Guard, the EPA, and the Minerals Management Service.
In January 1993, OPS published an interim final rule Response Plans for Onshore Oil Pipelines (49 CFR 194). OPS will
not issue a response plan final rule in 1998. OPS is waiting to issue a final rule to see how the program evolves.
As we analyzed, made recommendations, and approved the first round of plans in 1995, we learned a great deal about the
public representatives on the OPA '90 program. We are fine-tuning facility response plan review to make it more efficient
and to give operators clearer, better guidance. We are working with the pipeline industry to measure how well the OPA '90
program works. The interim final rule is in effect.
UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU
OPS is looking for operators to volunteer to conduct a table top exercise in Fiscal Year 1999. To sign up, please call
Melanie Barber at (202) 366-4560 or send her an e-mail at melanie.barber @rspa.dot.gov.
RESPONSE TEAM MEETINGS STRENGTHEN
EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS TO KEEP OIL OUT OF THE WATER
Jim Taylor, OPS Response Plans Officer, and Melanie Barber, OPS Environmental Planning Officer, continue to work with
the thirteen Region Response Teams (RRT) on OPS' risk management demonstration, oil spill prevention and response,
unusually sensitive area definition, and national pipeline mapping issues. The RRTs address emergency management,
environmental protection, antiterrorism, and hot issues in each Region. The RRT members represent fifteen Federal
agencies, the States, local emergency responders, and the public. RRT members play key roles at OPS table top and area
exercises. The 1998 RRT schedule follows.
REGION RESPONSE TEAM AND NATIONAL RESPONSE TEAM SCHEDULE |
DATE |
REGION |
CITY |
STATE |
COAST GUARD/EPA
CO-CHAIRS |
July 30 |
NRT |
Washington |
D.C. |
|
Aug. 17 - 20 |
Oceania |
Honolulu |
HI |
CG Capt. Terry Rice
(808) 541-2114
EPA, Ms. Kathleen Shimmin
(415) 744-2216 |
Aug. 19 - 20 |
Four |
Memphis |
Tennessee |
CG LCDR Eric Mosher
(305) 536-6503
EPA, Mr. Doug Lair
(404) 562-8721 |
Aug. 27 |
NRT |
Washington |
D.C. |
|
Sept. |
Three |
Pittsburgh |
Pennsyulvania |
CG Capt. Anthony Regalbuto
(757) 398-6372
EPA, Mr. Dennis Carney
(215) 566-3241 |
Sept. |
Nine |
|
Nevada |
CG Capt. Ed Page
(510) 437-2940
EPA, Ms. Kathleen Shimmin
(415) 744-2216 |
Sept. 15 - 16 |
Eight |
Denver |
Colorado |
CG Capt. Fred Newman
(314) 539-3900, x. 202
EPA, Mr. Doug Skie
(303) 312-6827 |
Sept. 23 |
NRT
Spill of National
Significance Drill |
|
Alaska |
|
Sept. 22 - 25 |
Six |
San Antonio |
Texas |
CG Capt. Christopher
Desmond
(504) 589-6271
EPA, Mr. Charles Gazda
(214) 665-2270 |
Sept. 24 |
NRT |
Washington |
D.C. |
|
Oct. 29 |
NRT |
Washington |
D.C. |
|
Oct. |
Five |
|
|
CG Capt. Gregory Cope
(216) 902-6045
EPA, Mr. Richard Karl
(312) 353-9295 |
Nov. 18 - 19 |
Seven |
Kansas City |
MO |
CG Capt. Fred Newman
(314) 539-3900, x. 202
EPA, Mr. Bob Jackson
(913) 551-7952 |
OPS PROPOSES CHANGES TO BREAK OUT TANK STANDARDS
To clarify and improve our tank regulations, OPS published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the May 21, 1998 Federal
Register identifying the industry standards OPS will adopt as part of our hazardous liquid pipeline rules. The American
Petroleum Institute and the National Fire Protection Association wrote the standards which reflect the latest in industry
safety and prevention. The standards OPS proposes to adopt are in the NPRM. You can comment on the proposed rule until
July 20, 1998. If you need copies of the notice or have questions about the rule making, please call Al Garnett at (202)
366-2036 or e-mail him at albert.garnett@rspa.dot.gov.
After the rule is final, OPS will work with the Environmental Protection Agency to amend the 1971 Memorandum of
Understanding that defines the agencies' jurisdiction over above ground petroleum storage tanks. The goal of the
discussions with EPA is to ensure that the public and the environment are protected from tank spills while reducing the
agencies' overlapping regulatory requirements.
MAPPING, ENVIRONMENTAL INDEX, AND DAMAGE PREVENTION
Mapping
OPS does not have an accurate, up to date map of the pipelines in the United States. For about four years, we have been
working with States, other Federal environmental agencies, and the industry to create a national map that will show
pipelines and environmentally sensitive areas, densely populated areas, hydrography, places where natural disasters are
probable and have high consequences, and transportation networks. OPS wants people to let us know where natural gas
transmission pipelines, hazardous liquid trunk lines, and LNG facilities are. To learn more, please come to a mapping work
shop near you this Summer or Fall. OPS is having mapping work shops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Adam's Mark Hotels
and Resorts in Houston, Texas on July 14 - 15, the Radisson Hotel Arlington Heights, Arlington Heights (Chicago), Illinois
on September 1 - 2, the ANA Hotel in San Francisco, California on September 23 - 24, and the Washington Plaza Hotel in
Washington, D.C. on October 28 - 29. To sign up or get more information on these meetings please call Janice Morgan at
(202) 366-2392 or send her an e-mail at janice.morgan@rspa.dot.gov.
Environmental Index
PHMSA has drafted a drinking water data catalog that covers the fifty States and includes information on ground water wells,
surface water intakes, aquifers, sole source aquifers, wellhead protection areas, and geology. The catalog has the
government agency that gathered the data, data descriptions, data problems, and data quality and completeness. Before too
long, the catalog will be on OPS' home page. For more information, please call Christina Sames at (202) 366-4561 or send
her an e-mail at christina.sames@rspa.dot.gov.
Damage Prevention
OPS will set up a team of government, industry, and public representatives to study best damage prevention practices for
underground utilities. On Aug. 25 - 26, we are having a public meeting at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington,
Virginia to get the public's views on one call best practices. If you are interested in working on a damage prevention team,
please call Eben Wyman at (202) 366- 0918 or send him an e-mail at eben.wyman@rspa.dot.gov.
ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTING PIPELINE FACILITY RESPONSE PLANS
If you would like to file an oil spill response plan with OPS electronically, please read the following. OPS is scanning all
facility response plans (FRPs) in our library to create an electronic plan library. OPS will allow operators to file their plans
electronically. If you want to keep filing paper plans, you may do so. 49 CFR 194.119(a) requires each operator to submit
two copies of the response plan. You may submit one paper copy and an electronic copy. If you have questions, please call
Jim Taylor (202) 366-8860 or send him an e-mail at jim.taylor@rspa.dot.gov.
Electronic Submission Requirements
Electronic plans submitted in PDF format would be the easiest for PHMSA to process. You can submit the other formats
listed below. To ensure that your paper copy of the plan is an exact copy of the electronic plan, it is important that all pages
(i.e., OSRO equipment lists, figures, drawings, tables, etc.) in the paper plan be in the electronic plan. The number of
separate files constituting the plan should be kept to a minimum to further our adding your plan to PHMSA's electronic
response plan library. Large maps, charts, drawings, schematics, etc., can be submitted in separate files since they are not
always easy to incorporate into a word processing file.
Electronic Media
- 1.44M 3.5" HD floppy disks, CD-ROMs, Iomega Zip format, Iomega Jazz format, and Imation Superdisk format.
- Word Processing with incorporated figures, tables, and images.
- PC* (ClarisWorks 1.0 or higher, MS Word for Windows 6.0 or higher, MS Works 2.0 or higher, PDF, and WordPerfect
Windows 6.1 or higher)
- Macintosh* (ClarisWorks 1.0 or higher, MacWrite, MS Works 2.0 or higher, MS Word for Windows 6.0 or higher, and
WordPerfect Windows 6.1 or higher)
- Graphics Formats: Windows ArcView, GIF, TIFF, and DWG
* Note: Many other word processing programs that may be acceptable are not
on the list. Please call Jefferson Tancil at (202) 366-8075 or send him an e-mail
at Jefferson.Tancil@rspa.dot.gov if your company uses another program to see if
OPS can open and maintain the original format of your files. You can also contact
Jefferson Tancil if you would like your files transferred in a different media than
the ones listed above.
SUMMER SURFING
Does your morning sometimes start with no e-mail? Do you ever wonder what's going on in Washington? Are you always
the last one in your office to know about a Federal requirement? If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, you
need to go to the OPS home page. That's where you'll find the latest information about OPA '90 drills, mapping, risk
management, and other hot topics. The address is http://ops.dot.gov. Questions? You can e-mail Jim Taylor at
jim.taylor@rspa.dot.gov and e-mail Melanie Barber at melanie.barber@rspa.dot.gov
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