California Non Tank Vessel Contingency Plan – Clean Pacific Alliance & National Response Corporation

December 2000

As a result of the dissolution on December 1, 2000 of Clean Pacific Alliance (CPA), the US west coast affiliate of the National Response Corporation (NRC), confusion has arisen over the status of California Contingency Plans naming CPA as oil spill removal organisation.

The State of California Office of Spill Response & Prevention (OSRP) have issued letters to the holders of Contingency Plans in which CPA is named as the only oil spill removal organisation informing them that approval for their Plan has been revoked. (This letter has also been sent to some other Plan holders in error.)

Prior to December 1, NRC had indicated that they would be able to satisfy California requirements for equipment, personal and response times after the dissolution of CPA without any interruption of service. However, it appears that the California OSRP have yet to accept this.

The matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings. A temporary court injunction has been obtained by NRC against the California OSRP by which the OSRP are restrained from sending out further letters revoking approval. They must also give notice of the temporary restraining order to all plan holders to whom letters of revocation have already been sent. The matter will be further determined by the Court in the near future.

In the interim, clients of ECM/Hudson who have named only CPA/NRC in their Contingency Plan can take advantage of an offer by Foss Environmental to provide them with a Letter of Intent for two weeks beginning December 1, 2000 pending resolution of this matter.

 

(Information supplied by ECM/Hudson, USA.)

 

Update April 2001

As at April 2001, ECM/Hudson confirm that the Clean Pacific Alliance issue has been resolved. Clean Pacific clients have all been moved to NRC or other Oil Spill Removal Organisations (OSRO's) and their Contingency Plans amended as appropriate. NRC has had its OSRO application approved by OSRP. There may still be some legal issues between NRC and OSRP, but from a clients point of view, everything seems to be in order.