Proceedings Of The Marine

SPR 2014

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

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39 Spring 2014 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings and Response in the Arctic, adopted in May 2013. In other efforts, the Coast Guard Offce of Marine Environmental Response Policy, members of District 7, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmen- tal Enforcement worked with Cuba, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Jamaica to develop the Wider Caribbean Region Multilateral Technical Operating Pro- cedures for Offshore Oil Pollution Response, fnalized in July 2013. This document is nonbinding in nature, but identifes areas of joint response from participating nations to a transbound- ary oil spill from offshore oil and gas exploration and includes responder contact information. Moreover, the document also identifes the need for further planning through notifcation drills and joint exercises. To promote multilateral collabora- tion to protect people and the environment, participating countries' offshore petroleum health and safety regulators will share information to foster best sustainable safety per- formance programs. For the Future International agreements for pollution response are essen- tial elements to secure the U.S. environment and economy. Agreements take time, as countries often have different objectives, priorities, and their own agreement mechanisms. Building relationships with domestic partner agencies and counterparts from other countries has its challenges, but the end is rewarding. Ironically, it would be ideal if all of these joint plans remain on the shelf. Nevertheless, if a response is needed one day, it is comforting to know that we have laid down the ground- work for fully coordinated joint responses to mitigate any environmental damage, regardless of where the incident started. About the authors: CAPT Slaughter is chief of the Planning and Force Readiness Division at the 7 th District in Miami, Fla. He has been part of the multilateral planning team in the Northern Caribbean Region since 2011, and has been working with counterparts from other countries to develop shared oil spill operational procedures. LCDR DeWeese is the deputy chief of the International Spill Coordination Division in the Offce of Marine Environmental Response Policy at USCG headquarters. She served as a Coast Guard marine inspector and casualty investigator for 12 years and holds a master's degree in environmental resource management. Endnotes: 1. Bilateral (between the U.S. and one other country), multilateral (between the U.S. and more than one other country). 2. Circular 175 refers to regulations DOS sets forth to ensure compliance with inter- national treaties and agreements within constitutional and other legal limitations. For more information on Circular 175 procedures, visit www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/ c175/. 3. The memo outlines the general purpose of the agreement, any problems that may be encountered with possible solutions, policy benefts and potential risks to the U.S., funding sources (if any) that will be committed by the proposed agreement and potential environmental impacts that may arise from the agreement and such. This description follows a request to negotiate, conclude, amend, extend or terminate the agreement, as appropriate. The proposed text of the agreement and any other pertinent background information attaches to the memorandum. A drilling rig conducts operations off the coast of Cuba. U.S. Coast Guard photo. Delegates from the United States, Cuba, Mexico, and the Bahamas participate in a regional workgroup on oil spill prevention in Nassau, Bahamas. U.S. Coast Guard photo. Spring2014_FINAL.indd 39 3/21/14 11:14 AM

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