Regional Response Team III (RRT3) Outreach to State Senior Executives on Dispersant Pre-Authorization
MAY 20, 2019 — At the most recent meeting of the RRT3 (consisting of representatives from the 15 federal agency and the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia) the decision was made to perform courtesy visits to state capitols in an effort to educate state senior executives on the current dispersant pre-authorization memorandum of agreement (MOA).
The MOA has recently been revised to reflect administrative changes within the RRT3 area of responsibility. The initial state visit, scheduled for June 4 in Dover, Delaware, with RRT3 members from NOAA, EPA, Coast Guard, Department of Interior, and the state, will meet with the Secretary of Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and other key personnel. At this meeting the discussion will cover the role of the RRT, background on dispersant use, history of the dispersant pre-authorization MOU, upcoming tabletop exercises using the MOU, and future actions.
After this initial meeting with the Delaware senior executives, additional meetings will be scheduled with the state of New Jersey (neighboring RRT 3 jurisdiction). As Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia do not have any coastal jurisdiction, they will not be involved in these discussions.
For further information, contact Frank.Csulak@noaa.gov or Ed.Levine@noaa.gov.