Oil Spill Legislation

The lower Columbia Fire Safety Plan was originally drafted to address shipboard fires and has been revised to include oil spill response and prevention.  As a result of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) and increased public awareness, industry-backed Senate Bill 242 was signed by Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts in 1991. 

The Oregon law, as well as Washington state law enacted the same year, require that all commercial vessels over 300 gross tons have an oil spill contingency plan.  In order to comply, vessels must either enroll in an umbrella plan covering the Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers, or they must have their own approved oil spill contingency plan on file with state regulators.  Plans must specify a response contractor and adequate equipment to effectively respond to spills up to 300,000 barrels.

Identifying the need for even more focus on their oil spill responsibilities, the MFSA Oil Spill Response and Prevention Committee was formed in December of 1991 with members representing all phases of the maritime industry from both Oregon and Washington.

The Lower Columbia Fire Safety Plan has been expanded to include oil spill response and clean-up in the form of First Responder Agreements between MFSA and several strategically located participating fire bureaus.  Currently all deep draft vessels transiting the Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers, in excess of 2,000 vessels annually, are enrolled under the MFSA Umbrella plan.

In addition, state law requires access to a 24-hour regional communication system which is provided by a $1.2 million state-of-the-art, microwave radio system MFSA has developed and has been operational since mid-1995.  This system was funded by a federal grant through the U.S. Coast Guard.  In a sharing agreement with Merchants Exchange, the equipment is manned and maintained 24/7.

The MFSA Umbrella Oil Spill Contingency Plan has been approved by both Oregon and Washington, becoming the first vessel contingency plan to receive the approval of both states.

The Partnership

To meet the requirements set forth in the Oregon and Washington laws, MFSA and Clean Rivers have joined forces in an effort to protect the Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers commerce and environment.

In 1992 MFSA and Clean Rivers entered into a memorandum of agreement allowing MFSA to designate the Clean Rivers equipment and resources in the MFSA plan.  The partnership of MFSA and Clean Rivers makes available the largest inventory of dedicated spill response resources and allows spill response coverage of vessels transiting the entire Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers;  a task that no single response contractor can provide.  As part of this agreement, MFSA contributes financially to co-own the response equipment.

Oil Spill Response 

The Maritime Fire and Safety Association and Clean Rivers Cooperative, Inc. partnership means improved response capabilities for oil spills in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.  Agreements allow these two organizations to share equipment and a communications network.  The system now in place makes available the largest possible pool of dedicated spill response resources to enrolled vessels and member facilities operating in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Industry, like most citizens, is vitally concerned about oil spills and their potential economic and environmental impacts.  As the quantity of oil transported by ships has increased, the public’s concern about spills has intensified.  This growing awareness has spawned extensive efforts by both industry and government to provide improved protection against oil spills.

One of the most significant advancements in oil spill control has been the creation of a number of oil spill cooperatives throughout the United States.  Oil and transportation companies have pooled their resources and equipment, and have trained employees to provide effective oil spill control capabilities. Clean Rivers Cooperative, Inc. is one of these organizations.

Clean Rivers Cooperative acts as the Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) for MFSA enrolled vessels.  Service agreements are maintained with independent spill contractors providing clean-up services to Clean Rivers’ members and the MFSA.  In addition, the organization owns spill response equipment, operated by the spill response contractors.  This allows Clean Rivers to provide MFSA with modern oil spill equipment and a corps of well-trained personnel ready to respond to any oil spill on land or water. 

A vessel owner or operator enrolls a vessel for coverage under the Plan by entering into an Enrollment Agreement with MFSA, following the other enrollment procedures specified in the Enrollment Agreement and paying the applicable vessel trip fee for coverage under the Plan.  By enrolling for coverage under the Plan, the covered vessel and the owner agree to all of the terms and conditions of the enrollment agreement and agree to follow the provisions of the Plan.  Enrollmentinformation is available under the Oil Spills:  Vessel Enrollment & Plan Documents page on this website.