USCG PAT

In February of 1998, the Spill Control Association of America and the U.S. Coast Guard entered into a Quality Partnership for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection. In June of 1998, the Association of Petroleum Industry Co-op Managers ("APICOM") also became a signatory to the Partnership.

The purpose of the Partnership is to strengthen the communication and working relationship between the parties and the spill response community. Its objectives are to improve the effectiveness of spill response and to further sound risk management among/between private and governmental response organizations.

This quality partnership established a program of cooperative, informal, structured processes addressing issues of marine safety and environmental protection. These processes are not intended to subvert the legitimate role for government regulation in establishing minimum standards necessary to ensure the safety of U.S. Waters, response vessels and crews; nor are they intended to supplant the important role that has been and continues to be played by existing federal advisory committees to the Coast Guard. Rather, they are intended to complement these other legitimate government and industry functions by providing a flexible mechanism for joint Coast Guard-industry action in a results oriented, non-regulatory environment.

The quality partnership involved the creation of a Partnership Action Team ("PAT") comprised of SCAA, U.S. Coast Guard, and APICOM representatives to review and act on Opportunities for Improvement received from members of the spill response community, SCAA, APICOM, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel.

Issues addressed by the PAT thus far include The Interface of Public and Private Response Resources; The Basic Ordering Agreement ("BOA") Process; and The Federal Role in Dispersant Deployment.

A letter from Rear Admiral Paul J. Pluta

David Usher Speaks on
the tougher response rules
and on
The Role of the Private Sector in Homeland Defence