West Coast federal and state trustees and oil industry representatives convened in Portland, Oregon, for the West Coast Joint Assessment Team (JAT) meeting on December 3, 2014.

The JAT is a forum for trustees and industry to coordinate on Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) planning and approaches related to oil spills.

The significant increase in transport of crude oil by rail was a focal point of discussion. Washington, Oregon, and California all are experiencing increases in the shipment of Midwest Bakken oil and Canadian oil sands (tar sands) bitumen by rail. The JAT recognized the need to expand planning and preparedness for oil releases adjacent to rail lines throughout the states.

At the meeting, the Assessment and Restoration Division presented on several topics. Marla Steinhoff provided an overview of the online mapping tool ERMA^®, focusing on the utility in NRDA and West Coast applications. In addition, Laurie Sullivan presented the results of an exercise with California trustees to evaluate the use of unmanned aircraft systems in NRDA.

For more information, contact Marla Steinhoff.

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