THE ROLE OF THE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OMBUDSMAN AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COMMISSION MICHAEL KENT – CONTRA COSTA HEALTH SERVICES CONTRA COSTA PIPELINE SAFETY.

T H E R O L E O F T H E H A Z A R D O U S M A T E R I A L S O M B U D S M A NA N D

H A Z A R D O U S M A T E R I A L S C O M M I S S I O N

M I C H A E L K E N T – C O N T R A C O S T A H E A LT H S E R V I C E S

CONTRA COSTA PIPELINE SAFETY WORKSHOPS

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Martinez

Alamo

THE MAP BELOW FROM THE NATIONAL PIPELINE MAPPING SYSTEM SHOWS THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE HAZARDOUS LIQUID (RED) AND

THE GAS TRANSMISSION (BLUE) PIPELINES IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY.

Alamo

CHEVRON FIRE, 2012

Photo credit: SFGate.com

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OMBUDSMAN POSITION IN THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

ORDINANCE

•The ombudsperson will serve as a single point of contact for people who live or work in Contra Costa County regarding environmental health concerns, questions, and complaints about hazardous materials programs.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OMBUDSMAN POSITION IN THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

ORDINANCE

• The ombudsperson will be empowered to identify and solve problems and make recommendations to the department. The ombudsperson's role will be one of investigating concerns and complaints, facilitating their resolution and assisting people in gathering information about programs, procedures, or issues.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OMBUDSMAN POSITION IN THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

ORDINANCE

•The ombudsperson may retain appropriate technical experts in order to fulfill technical assistance requests from members of the public. The cost of experts may be funded through programs established by the U.S. EPA or other appropriate entities.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COMMISSION

• Advisory board established in 1986• Originally created to develop a Hazardous

Waste Management plan• 13 members• Representatives from• Industry• Environmental Groups• Organized Labor• Cities• Other

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COMMISSION ISSUES

• Industrial Safety Ordinance• Land Use permitting• Accident Prevention

• Community Warning System• Environmental Justice• Brownfield cleanup• Household Hazardous Waste Disposal• Precautionary Principle• Pipeline Safety

2004 WALNUT CREEK PIPELINE FIRE

•

Photo credit: Contra Costa Watch Blog 2004

KINDER MORGAN PIPELINE ALONG THE IRON HORSE TRAIL

KEY LESSONS LEARNED

• Being proactive is better than being reactive

• Collaboration is still the way to go

• Trust what residents tell you

• Preparation actually pays off

OPPORTUNITIES

• Furthered Commission goal of community education• Precautionary Principle• Cumulative impacts• Home-generated Pharmaceutical Disposal

• Reviewing recommendations from PST report

• Other County Supervisors interested in workshops in their Districts – Also a challenge

• Opens doors to future collaboration

CHALLENGES

• The process is time intensive

• Being clear about what is expected from presenters and taking the time to coordinate

• Did it address what people wanted to know?• Are we doing everything possible to prevent accidents?• Are we prepared to respond to accidents?

• Future Challenges• Implementation of report recommendations • Encroachment issues• Growing population