WHY WE WERE ESTABLISHED

Two spills formed a critical juncture: The first was in December 1988 and involved the tank barge Nestucca, a spill which impacted the coasts of Washington and British Columbia. The second, in March 1989, was the catastrophic spill of the tanker Exxon Valdez in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. These two events highlighted in a dramatic way the vulnerability of the West Coast states and British Columbia to spill risks from coastal marine traffic. Awareness arose of the importance of cross-border coordination and cooperation, and the need for firm commitments to protect the unique marine resources of the region.

Thus the Pacific States/B.C. Oil Spill Task Force (Task Force) was created, the result of a memorandum signed by the governors of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, and the premier of British Columbia in 1989. In 2001, Hawaii joined the Task Force, further broadening our regional scope.

In 2019, the Task Force members went through a strategic planning process to revise and update our strategic plan. Here are the current vision, mission and goals for the organization:

OUR VISION

No spilled oil

OUR MISSION

Working together to improve the Pacific Coast’s prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from oil spills.

OUR GOALS

1. Adapt to changes in oil movement and risks
2. Advance readiness and capacity to respond to oil spills
3. Deepen our partnerships to make better decisions and expand our knowledge
4. Nurture our organizational health
5. Build and enhance visibility and relevancy of the Task Force

WHO WE ARE

The OSTF is comprised of representatives from these agencies in the jurisdictions we represent:

• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
• Ministry of Environment, British Columbia
• Office of Spill Prevention & Response (OSPR), California Department of Fish & Game
• Hawai’i State Department of Health
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Department of Ecology Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program, Washington State

Task Force members

Tiffany Larson Director, Division of Spill Prevention and Response Alaska Dept of Environmental Conservation	Laurel Nash Assitant Deputy Minister, British Columbia Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy	Thomas M. Cullen Jr. Administrator Office of Spill Prevention & Response (OSPR) California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Kathleen Ho Deputy Director for Environmental Health, Hawaii Department of Health	Lydia Emer Administrator for Land Quality Programs, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality	Carlos Clements Program Manager, Department of Ecology, Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program

1. We share information on regional and national oil spill programs, policies and emerging technologies with member jurisdictions, stakeholders and the public;
2. The Task Force coordinates and facilitates projects, workshops and round-table forums on oil spill prevention and response topics of concern;
3. We help create tools and resources to foster and encourage best industry practices;
4. As a collective, we support policy and legislative initiatives that help prevent oil spills and protect resources at risk.
5. We engage with industry partners in spill prevention and response planning;
6. Our outreach and communications activities focus on sharing our project updates, products and Task Force Member accomplishments while providing opportunities to hear and learn from our stakeholders and the public.