Accord Reached on Response to Oil Spills

In an effort to increase the speed and effectiveness of their response to oil spills off the Ventura County coast, state and federal authorities will sign an agreement of mutual cooperation during ceremonies planned for Monday.

The pact between the federal Minerals Management Service and the California Oil Spill Prevention and Response agency smoothes over a sometimes contentious relationship between the state and federal agencies, which have wrestled over the management of offshore oil and gas production.

“We view this agreement as an evolutionary step,” said J. Lisle Reed, regional director for the Minerals Management Service. “I think we have come to recognize that what was done in the past in terms of cooperation may not always have been the best approach.”

Reed said the new agreement, which covers the entire California coastline, is a product of the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the California Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of the same year. Among other provisions, the two landmark environmental laws called for increased cooperation among state and federal authorities.

“We have been involved in a constant, continual effort to change the way we do business--to be more open--for some time now,” Reed said. “I think this agreement is a product of those efforts.”

The 12-page document outlines how the two agencies will forge a framework for joint oil spill drills and exercises, share oil spill computer data bases and prevent duplication of efforts by workers responding to offshore oil spills.

Jonathan Clark, staff counsel for OSPR and a co-author of the agreement, said that with increased cooperation will come decreased response times by state and federal oil cleanup crews should an oil spill occur.

“This means we will be on scene faster,” Clark said. “It also means that should there be a spill, we will have a better idea earlier of what resources we have available.”

Local environmental activists applauded the agreement.

“I have to say that it sounds very good to me,” said Cynthia Leake, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Environmental Coalition. “I’ve always been appalled at the lack of cooperation between governmental agencies. I think this might be a step in the right direction.”

Marc Chytilo, chief counsel of the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Council, said he believed the agreement was a small but positive step in helping to protect the state’s coastal environment.

“I have to say that we would prefer to see them concentrating on those things that would minimize or prevent such risks to the ocean in the first place,” Chytilo said. “But, if this agreement results in increased efficiency and better cooperation, we would be supportive of it.”

U.S. Rep. Andrea Seastrand (R-Santa Barbara) will preside over the signing of the agreement in Lompoc on Monday afternoon. Seastrand’s husband, Eric, a former state legislator, co-wrote the California Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act.