Page 42: of Marine News Magazine (April 2012)

42MNApril 2012unique in that it is the only commercial oil spill response provider with a nation-wide focus,? he said. By commer- cial,? Candito means NRC is not a member-owned non- profit OSRO. These are often well-funded by large oil companies. We have to figure out a way to do this stuff cost competitively. Our costs are often actually lower, because we have to be so innovative and smart about what we do and still make some money.? Customers pay a retainer fee to use NRC in their response plan which they file with the Coast Guard, EPA and state agencies. If an incident occurs, NRCs response fleet includes aircraft as well as 20 large, dedicated oil spill response vessels around the country. A network of dedi- cated and non-dedicated equipment helps NRC stay cost effective, Candito says. We have networks of equipment that we can bring in, but dont have to own and maintain,? Candito said. NRCs network includes about 140 independent contrac- tors and access to over 57 million barrels of temporary storage throughout the U.S. EEZ. Some of these smaller companies store and help maintain NRC-owned equip- ment and in the event of a spill, provide personnel to deploy and operate the equipment as directed by the spill manager through NRC. As part of these networks, smaller companies like the Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO), serving Hawaii and Alaska, subcontract to NRC and other large OSROs. Rusty Nall, Executive Vice President at PENCO, There is a tendency to throw everything but the kitchen sink into contingency planrequirements: that more is better. But sometimes more is just more! This kind of oil spill response overkill doesnt benefit anybody. We need to look at what works and focus on enhancingthose proven tools and methodologies.? Charlie Costanzo, VP - Pacific Region, theAmerican Waterways Operators (AWO)