Dan Lewis

Oil Spill Agreement

The first exercise under the agreement was a communication. In September 2015, the United States held a workshop at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters to prepare for the second exercise. The workshop focused on identifying the riskiest Arctic spill scenarios and reviewed lessons learned from Canada`s 2014 exercise. In June 2016, the next table exercise will take place in Montreal, Canada, at the same time as the first EPPR meeting of the year. The document was signed by Deputy Minister Eduardo Rodriguez D`vila of the Cuban Ministry of Transportation and the Minister of Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis. (Id.) Rodriguez Dévila said the agreement will promote cooperation in staff training and ensure the availability of appropriate technologies and equipment to deal with oil pollution and other similar disasters. (Sergio Alejandro Gémez, Firman Cuba y EE. Uu. acuerdo de proteccene contra derrames de hidrocaros, GRANMA (official body of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba) (January 9, 2017).) implement appropriate monitoring measures to detect oil pollution in areas under a party`s national jurisdiction; Chargé d`Affaires of the U.S.

Embassy in Havana Jeffrey DeLaurentis signed the agreement on behalf of the United States. Deputy Minister Eduardo Rodriguez D`vila of the Ministry of Transport signed for the Republic of Cuba. Oil pollution is a major source of marine pollution worldwide and can seriously affect marine ecosystems. Based on U.S. expertise in oil spill response, the U.S. government is often asked to help respond to oil pollution incidents in other countries. Depending on the nature and circumstances of the oil spill, the United States will strive to provide the appropriate level of assistance, particularly if it can improve our international relations and demonstrate our commitment to protecting the marine environment. However, in most cases, the cost of U.S. government assistance in the fight against oil spills is expected to be reimbursed.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for controlling and eliminating oil spills in U.S. waters and are generally the agencies that provide international assistance to oil pollution. Several other USG agencies are helping to respond to oil pollution in Switzerland and abroad through the National Response Team (NRT) – a network of 16 federal agencies that provide advice, assistance and resources to deal with pollution events.