On May 22, 2018, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (“OSPR”), issued a 15-Day Notice of Modifications to Text of Proposed Regulations and Addition of Documents Relied Upon (“Notice”).  The Notice extends the comment period for the following proposed rulemakings, in response to comments received during the initial 45-day comment period:

  • General Definitions & Abbreviations (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, § 790);
  • Certificates of Financial Responsibility (§§ 791 – 798)
  • Oil Spill Contingency Plans for Inland Facilities (§ 817.04)
  • Ratings for Oil Spill Response Organizations (§§819 – 819.07)
  • Drills and Exercises for Inland Facilities (§ 820.02)

Continue Reading OSPR Extends Rulemaking Comment Period for Inland Facilities

The California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (“OSPR”), within the Department of Fish and Wildlife, has been tasked with new responsibilities related to oil spill response.  Assembly Bill 1197 (“AB 1197”), which was signed into law in October 2017 and goes into effect on January 1, 2018, authorizes spill management teams (“SMTs”) to apply to the OSPR Administrator (“Administrator”) for a certification of that SMT’s response capabilities.  AB 1197 also authorizes the Administrator to charge a reasonable administrative fee to process an application for, or renewal of, a certification.  In addition, OSPR must promulgate regulations outlining the certification process for SMTs.
Continue Reading Ready or Not? Now’s the Time to Get Your Oil Spill Management Team OSPR Certification