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July 14, 2003
The Hawaii State Department of Health will host The Pacific
States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force 2003 Annual Meeting at the
Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki on July 22nd followed by a special
Roundtable on July 23rd. Formed in 1989, the Task Force is marking 14
years of successful collaboration on oil spill prevention and response
policies that protect some 56,660 miles of coastline, which includes
the Hawaiian Island chain.
Laurence Lau, Deputy Director for Environmental Health and Hawaii
Task Force Member said, “Planning and preparation are essential
to protecting our waters, and we are very fortunate to gather so many
key people with experience on oil spill issues.”
The theme for this year's Annual meeting – The Prestige Spill:
What If It Happened in the Pacific Area - will focus on our collective
ability to respond to a large offshore oil spill. Rear Admiral Charles
Wurster, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard District 14, will provide the
keynote address. In addition, a panel of seven response and salvage
experts will address Pacific area oil spill response. Updates will be
provided on Task Force initiatives as well as on oil spill program and
policy developments.
The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force Members are
the directors of the key oil spill prevention and response agencies in
California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Their annual meeting provides an opportunity to interact with the
public and key stakeholders on oil spill policy issues.
The task force will also sponsor a public Roundtable on the morning
of July 23rd that will focus on the issue of Places of Refuge: What
Decisions Are Needed, Who Will Make Them, and When? The Roundtable will
explore the issue of how a decision is made whether to allow a leaking
vessel – or one with the potential to leak – into a port or
whether to send it out to sea.
Events will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, in
the South Pacific Ballroom of the Hilton’s Mid-Pacific Conference
Center and are free and open to the public, but advance registration is
requested. For more information or to register, please contact Jean
Cameron at 503-392-5860 before July 18, 2003.
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For information, contact:
Jean Cameron
Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force
Phone: (503) 392-5860
Curtis Martin
Department of Health
Phone: (808) 586-4249
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