Transcript 837KB

Agreement Between the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, the
United States Coast Guard, the United
States Department of State, and the
Panama Canal Authority Regarding
Assistance with Respect to Certain
Environmental Pollution Incidents in the
Panama Canal Area
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History of Agreement
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On January 15, 1997, the PCC requested assistance from the
NRT in identifying the type of response assistance that could be
provided in the event of an oil, hazardous substance, or
radiological incident in the PCOA when the capacity of the PCC
to respond has been exceeded.
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On December 12, 1997, an MOU for providing this assistance was
signed between the NRT and PCC.
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Key areas addressed in the MOU include:
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Funding
Notification Procedures
Operational Procedures
Incident Command system
Termination Procedures
Logistical Arrangements
Training and Exercises
Effective Date and Termination Date
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History of Agreement
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Under the terms of the 1977
Panama Canal Treaty,
responsibility for the operation,
maintenance, and management
of the Canal Area passed from the
PCC to the PCA on December 31, 1999.
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At its October 1999 meeting, the NRT approved having
EPA and USCG proceed with a circular 175 process to
begin negotiations for a new agreement.
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2002 the EPA, USCG and DOS signed the current
agreement we have with the ACP.
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Purpose of Agreement
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To facilitate the provision of assistance by certain
agencies of the Government of the United States at
the request of the Panama Canal Authority in
connection with significant pollution or
radiological incidents that may affect the Canal.
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NRT/ACP Activities
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NRT agencies have assisted the PCA in
developing its Area Contingency Plan
 February 2004 held a notification exercise.
 November 2004 planning meeting in Panama
for table top exercise
 Last week, NSFCC provided assistance and
training in exercise development, control and
evaluation
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NRT/ACP Activities
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Next week NRT, EPA, Navy SupSalv, Gulf
Strike Team and NSFCC will be participating
in a three day table top exercise in Panama
City.
 Objectives
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Evaluate the ability of a Technical Assistance Team
to assimilate into Panama’s response system
Evaluate Panama’s new Crisis Action Center’s
ability to handle a major incident
Evaluate the ability of the ACP/NRT response team
to produce an Incident Action Plan
Prepare for a future full-scale exercise
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