ABSTRACT
In 2015, the Washington state legislature passed the Oil Transportation Safety Act that directed the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to develop and implement an oil spill and hazardous materials response and firefighting equipment grant program.
Ecology has awarded over 100 grants to more than 70 recipients, in excess of 9 million dollars, to first responders, ports, public works, state agencies, and federally recognized tribal governments. Funding has been provided for oil spill response equipment, firefighting foam, vessels, wildlife deterrence and capture, air monitoring meters, chemical detection instrumentation, communication equipment, training, as well as maintenance for equipment awarded through a prior equipment grant cycles.
Successes of this grant include quick access to nearby containment boom to deploy around sinking vessels, containing hundreds of gallons of spilled fuel and oil, and minimizing impacts to environmental, cultural and historical, and economic resources. Vessels awarded have increased the ability to respond to and support preparedness for oil spills on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, north central Puget Sound, and central Washington. Air monitoring equipment has increased the safety of first responders and the community when responding to train derailments in the state and industrial warehouse fires.
The grant program continues to refine what equipment and training is eligible as priorities shift and new risks emerge in the state. Each grant cycle also brings lessons learned regarding the evaluation process when there is a wide variety of needs regarding budget, equipment, and training amongst the applicants.