DNR Response to BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been working closely with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (EMD) to develop and implement a state plan that addresses the possibility of residual oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill reaching South Carolina shores. Current scientific data suggests that any such residual oil would likely be in the form of tarballs, and would have only a small (if any) impact on South Carolina’s coastal waters and wetlands.

DHEC is the lead state agency for responding to oil spills anywhere in South Carolina. The US Coast Guard (USCG) is the lead federal agency for responding to oil spills that affect coastal waters of South Carolina. Both DHEC and the USCG are part of a larger, well-coordinated team that includes many other federal, state and local partners. This team is ready to respond to the BP spill, should such a response be needed.

DNR provides assistance to DHEC and the USCG in responding to any oil spill that has the potential to affect South Carolina’s natural resources, particularly its fish, wildlife and their habitats. The SCDNR has several specific roles and responsibilities in responding to oil spill incidents, including, but not limited to, the following:

To provide law enforcement resources as needed,
To provide technical support and advice to the USCG and DHEC on the occurrence of sensitive habitats and species that could be affected by an incident,
To assist with on-water support and aerial reconnaissance overflights,
To assist with shoreline clean-up and injury assessments,
To make recommendations for appropriate spill containment strategies to protect sensitive habitats,
To make recommendations for appropriate clean-up techniques having the least potential for further environmental injury,
To assist in the coordination of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts,
To conduct fish kill investigations, if necessary,
To make recommendations for appropriate habitat restoration or restocking, if necessary,
To evaluate injury to natural resources and pursue a formal Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA), if deemed appropriate, and
Through the Office of the State Climatologist, to provide climate data (wind, temperature, precipitation, etc.), to assist in assessing incident impacts to natural resources.

For continuous updates on the BP oil spill, please see the following websites:

General BP Oil Spill Information:

New official website of the US Government for information about the BP oil spill:
http://www.restorethegulf.gov/

Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs: Oil spill information: http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm

Official Unified Command website:
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

On-line interactive map with near-real time information about the response effort:
http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/index.html

BP response:
http://www.bp.com/managedlistingsection.do?categoryId=9033573&contentId=7062258

White House response:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill/

EPA response:
http://www.epa.gov/bpspill

NOAA response:
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon

DOI response, with links to USFWS, NPS, MMS, and USGS responses:
http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm

State of South Carolina Oil Spill Response:

General information about the spill and its potential effect on South Carolina:
http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/gulf-oil-spill/

"Charleston Area Contingency Plan", maintained by the USCG:
http://ocean.floridamarine.org/ACP/CHACP/pdf/ACP_PDF/acpchasnfeb06_master_Final.pdf

"State of South Carolina Contingency Plan for Spills and Releases of Oil & Hazardous Substances", maintained by DHEC:
http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/gulf-oil-spill/oil-spill-response.htm

SCDNR's website:
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/

SCEMD website:
http://www.scemd.org/

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation:

Avian Conservation Center/ Center for Birds of Prey:
http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/

Daily wildlife collection reports:
http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/collectionreports.html

Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research:
http://www.tristatebird.org/

International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC):
http://www.ibrrc.org/

BP's on-line training course for "qualified wildlife recovery paraprofessionals":
https://www2.virtualtrainingassistant.com/BPPublic/wc.dll?learner~cmenu

Human Health and Safety:

OSHA Fact Sheet: hazards, training, and worker protection for the BP oil spill:
http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/Basic_Training_Fact_06_22_10.pdf

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) response:
http://www.hhs.gov/gulfoilspill/

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) response:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/gulfoilspill2010/

National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS):
http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=2495

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/oilspillresponse/

Seafood Safety:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) response:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ucm210436.htm

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