The Task Force presents Legacy Awards for projects, accomplishments, or leadership that results in enhanced environmental protection. These efforts should demonstrates innovation, management commitment, and improvements in oil spill prevention, preparedness, or response. The Awards are given to industry, non-profit or public agency organizations and individuals, or to team efforts.

PACIFIC STATES / BRITISH COLUMBIA OIL SPILL TASK FORCE 2015 LEGACY AWARD WINNERS

The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force is pleased to announce the 2015 Legacy Awards for Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response. The awards will be presented at the Clean Pacific Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 18, 2015. The Legacy Awards program was created by the Task Force to recognize and support model oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response programs throughout the Pacific region. 

Award categories include industry, non-profit or public agency organizations, individuals, and team efforts. The Task Force gives Legacy Awards in these categories for projects, accomplishments, or leadership that demonstrate innovation, management commitment, and improvements resulting in enhanced environmental protection. Efforts that promote partnerships and involve the public are particularly encouraged. Organizations or individuals nominated for the Legacy Award are located or primarily operating in the Task Force jurisdictions of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Organizations or individuals representing a regulated industry must demonstrate a satisfactory history of compliance with state, provincial, and federal oil spill regulations.

The 2015 Legacy Award winners are:

Ike Ikerd, General Manager, Clean Seas LLC
Mr. Ikerd has provided leadership, innovation and foresight in upgrading the response capabilities for the Clean Seas, LLC Oil Spill Removal Organization in Carpinteria, CA. Emphasizing the need to move spill response equipment quickly to a spill site, Clean Seas replaced their two large Oil Spill Recovery Vessels (OSRVs) with four highly capable OSRVs, and upgraded their spill response barge with a larger, more capable barge, going well beyond regulatory requirements.

Anil Mathur, CEO, Alaska Tanker Co.
Mr. Mathur exemplifies the Chief Executive one would wish to lead any company or organization whose core mission is moving crude oil safely from the North Pacific in extreme climate conditions. He values environmental safety and the life and safety of his crew, and these values are fundamentally ingrained in his work. The Task Force is impressed by Mr. Mathur’s professionalism and as his willingness to share safety information broadly. This interest in fostering a culture of safety has resulted in significant improvements in human and environmental safety across the tanker industry.  

Michael Moore, VP, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
Mr. Moore’s professionalism and commitment to improving the maritime industry in all safety matters are the primary reasons he is being presented with a 2015 Legacy Award. Mr. Moore has been described as proactively committed to the prevention of accidents. Mr. Moore was instrumental in the formation of the Puget Sound Harbor Safety Committee.

Earl Nishikawa, Fire Chief, Chevron Hawaii
Mr. Nishikawa is a long-standing member and contributor of several organizations including the Hawaii Area Committee, Oil Spill Response Community, Facility Security Committee, and Local Emergency Planning Committee.  In 2014, Mr. Nishikawa volunteered to spearhead the planning, coordination and execution of the Triennial National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP) for Hawaii.  This complex and comprehensive full-scale exercise spanned a multi-week schedule that included equipment and personnel deployments, training sessions, and an Incident Management Team/Incident Command System exercise focused on 19 Major NPREP objectives.

Stafford Reid, Principal, EnviroEmerg Consulting
Mr. Reid has worked in the area of emergency management and environmental assessment on the British Columbia coast for decades. His work on major vessel casualty planning and response led to his nomination for the Legacy Award. Mr. Reid has been closely involved in the work of planning and training for major marine vessel casualties and oil spills since 1990, when he worked for the province of BC to develop its first Environmental Emergency Management Program. This effort was in response to the spills from the Nestucca and Exxon Valdez. He has been instrumental in advancing oil spill prevention and response issues on the BC coast, including working closely and effectively with First Nations.

Tesoro Maritime Company
Cook Inlet is one of the nation’s most dynamic and challenging bodies of water. Mariners navigating the waters of Cook Inlet encounter some of the most challenging conditions in the world, with currents averaging up to 8 knots, winter pack ice up to 4 feet thick, subzero Fahrenheit temperatures, and twice daily tides with a 40 foot range. Cook Inlet is a rich and productive habitat for a variety of marine species and wildlife that would be severely impacted by a marine oil spill incident. Recognizing that Cook Inlet’s conditions pose a significant navigational risk, Tesoro Maritime made the voluntary commitment to build a dedicated ice class docking assist tug for their operations. Tesoro was nominated by the Cook Inlet Citizens’ Advisory Council, which considers the tug to be one of the “best things the company has ever done,” going well beyond regulatory requirements.

To view previous year’s winners, click here:  Legacy Awards 1999-2012

For more information, please contact:

Hilary Wilkinson
Project Support
Pacific States/B.C. Oil Spill Task Force
360-319-3493
Hilary@VedaEnv.com