Summary

Description

This plan is intended to serve as a step by step guide to emergency oil spill response in the event that such a spill threatens refuge lands and wildlife. Because it may take several hours before professional oil spill responders and cleanup crews arrive, the emergency efforts of refuge personnel may play a key role in minimizing impacts to refuge lands and wildlife resources. The primary goal in this emergency response is to minimize the impacts on the trust resources of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Service. Appendix A lists the priorities for Service response, as outlined in the Services Response Plan for Discharges of Oil and Releases of Hazardous Substances Service Contingency Plan SCP. For specifics regarding legal authorities and responsibilities, refer to the Service Contingency Plan. This plan pertains to spills of petroleum products only. Because of the threat to human health involved in responding to hazardous substances spills, evacuation may be the appropriate response. There are few Service personnel who are trained for hazardous spill response. The Service policy states that Service personnel will not enter hazardous waste sites without specific Regional clearance. Additionally, the likelihood of a petroleum spill in the vicinity of Laguna Atascosa is greater than that of a hazardous substance spill, since most barges carrying hazardous waste are doublehulled versus the singlehulled barges used for petroleum products. Following is a numbered, step by step response sequence that should be followed in the event an oil spill is discovered or reported to the refuge. The three most likely spill scenarios are covered in the response sequence. These three scenarios Appendix B, Figure B1, are: A A pipeline rupture at the Upper Cayo Atascosa crossing at FM 106, B A barge collision or spill in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway GIWW C A barge collision or spill in the Harlingen Ship Channel.