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MassDEP Delivers Oil Spill Response Equipment to Cape Communities Barnstable Is First of 19 Coastal Towns to Get Fully Stocked Trailers
MassDEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O'Donnell, joined by members of the Cape Cod legislative delegation, presented the first of 19 oil spill emergency response trailers to the Town of Barnstable in June, saying it was important to be prepared for a massive oil spill, but adding that spill prevention efforts will hopefully mean that the new equipment would never need to be used.
MassDEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O'Donnell listens to Barnstable Town Manager John Klimm during the presentation of the first Oil Spill Act emergency response trailer. The trailer can be seen in the background. |
Shown during the presentation of the emergency response trailer at a ceremony on Hyannis Harbor are (l-r) Barnstable Town Manager John Klimm, Barnstable Town Council President Janet Joakim, Acting Commissioner Arleen O'Donnell (at podium), Senator Robert O'Leary, Representative Matthew Patrick, Deputy Fire Chief Dean Melanson, and Joshua Mant of Senate President Therese Murray's office. |
Dan Murphy of Fleet Environmental helped to deliver and display the emergency response trailer and equipment presented recently to the Town of Barnstable. Seen in the back of the trailer are hundreds of feet of boom materials.
| The keys to the emergency response trailer and its oil spill emergency equipment were presented to Town Manager John Klimm in a ceremony held in Aselton Park on Hyannis Harbor. Trailers for 18 other communities on Cape Cod and the Islands are being delivered this month and next.
Also taking part in the presentation ceremony were Senator Robert O'Leary, Representative Matthew Patrick, Joshua Mant, director of Local Affairs for Senate President Therese Murray, Barnstable Town Council President Janet Joakim, and Hyannis Deputy Fire Chief Dean Melanson.
"Each community will receive a trailer stocked with emergency equipment that is essential in mitigating an oil spill's impact during the spill's first few hours," Commissioner O'Donnell said at the ceremony. "The trailers will be placed at strategic locations in each coastal community, putting essential tools in the hands of first-responders. The state will maintain, service and replenish the trailers to ensure rapid response when needed."
A History of Oil Spills on the Cape and Islands
A trust fund set up as part of the Oil Spill Act of 2004 is being used to purchase and stock the emergency response trailers. The Act was passed following the devastating spill of 98,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay in April 2003.
Commissioner O'Donnell called that spill from a Bouchard Transportation barge devastating, as 84 miles of coastline were spoiled, 178,000 acres of shell-fishing beds were closed for months, and hundreds of sea birds were oiled and killed.
The Commissioner added that the Bouchard spill was not the only one to impact Cape Cod and the Islands over the years. The barge Florida dumped 190,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay off Falmouth in 1969, while the Argo Merchant spilled 7.7 million gallons of oil south of Nantucket in 1976.
Due in part to the devastating spills over the years, MassDEP is taking a two-pronged approach: spill prevention and spill response. O'Donnell said that the Oil Spill Act requirements, such as tug escorts and double-hulled vessels, will help to prevent future spills once implemented, but the emergency response trailers and training exercises will help keep local first-responders ready to tackle spills major and minor, just in case.
"The Town of Barnstable is pleased to be receiving assistance from the state, and to be one of the recipients of the Oil Spill Emergency Response trailers," Town Manager Klimm said. "This equipment will now enable the town to respond effectively and efficiently, in case of an oil spill emergency."
Joining Barnstable in receiving a trailer are Aquinnah, Brewster, Chatham, Chilmark, Dennis, Eastham, Edgartown, Harwich, Mashpee, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Provincetown, Tisbury, Truro, Wellfleet, West Tisbury and Yarmouth.
Trailers and Training to Prepare First-Responders
Each trailer is 20 feet long by eight feet wide and contains thousands of feet of boom materials, floats and anchors, absorbent pads, storm drain plugs, life vests and personal protective gear. The communities will also be provided with oil spill first-responder training as part of this program. The total cost of the trailers and the training component is approximately $700,000.
The Oil Spill Act funding for the trailers comes from the trust fund, set up to receive two cents for every barrel of petroleum shipped into Massachusetts since September 2004. The trust fund can be used to improve and enhance marine oil spill response and prevention, provide emergency loans and pay damage claims. The fund now totals more than $3 million.
The trust fund is also being used to help communities draft Geographic Response Plans (GRPs). A GRP is a planning document that is intended to guide local responders in the first 24 to 48 hours of a major coastal oil spill until additional resources can be supplied through the United Command structure. The GRP includes maps and aerial photographs that depict road access, topography, sensitive habitats, and recommended locations for deployment of oil containment boom to protect sensitive habitats.
Emergency response trailers were previously delivered to all of the communities on Buzzards Bay, including Bourne, Falmouth and Sandwich. MassDEP will be working with its Oil Spill Advisory Committee on plans to continue to deliver response trailers and training to all coastal communities over the next two to three years.
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