This training option combines the first day classroom material with the last day table top exercise of the larger 4-day course and is designed for local and state responders, as well as U.S. EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, and Tribal responders who may become involved in inland crude oil spill response and cleanup. The classroom sessions will highlight crude oil types traveling through the Columbia River Gorge and states of Washington and Oregon. Class participants will spend the first day (Monday October 5, 0830 to 1700 hours) in the classroom learning about the characteristics of crude oil and Bakken crude specifically, fate and transport of crude in a waterway, response expectations, response safety, air monitoring, environmental harm, and train derailment dynamics and fire response tactics. Instructional methods include lectures and case studies. The Thursday afternoon session (1300 to 1530 hours) consists of a facilitated tabletop discussion based on an oil spill scenario of crude oil into the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam. First responders and other responding agencies to a crude oil spill on the Columbia are encouraged to participate in the discussion, which will explore: first actions by responders, which agencies will be responding and in what order, notifications, jurisdictional issues, addressing concerns about the dams, migrating fish, tourists, environment, etc. This will also be a great opportunity for networking between responders, and becoming familiar with agencies and their response capabilities and limitations.

The course will be taught by EPA staff and contractors, the Washington Department of Ecology, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the USCG, and BNSF Railway.  

Course Location

The course will be held at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bonneville Lock and Dam facility, near the town of Cascade Locks, Oregon.

IMPORTANT:  ERTP’s receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All ERTP training courses require applicant registration thru the Trainex system.  Last minute course arrivals without prior ERTP Trainex course registration approval is not permitted.  Before ERTP issues final approval to deliver any course and/or any EPA offices incurring expenses for the training event (including but not limited to EPA staff travel TA’s and/or ERTP training contractor expenses incurred), all EPA mandatory pre-approvals must all be met. The pre-approvals include (but are not limited to) the following:
Training location’s availability;
COVID status and/or other COVID Guidelines in effect for the location, as well as staff;

• Agency limitations, scrutiny, and approvals of ‘Conference Spending Requirements (known as the “5170”)’ for the specific training course(s) scheduled delivery timeframe;
• Weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc);
• Contractual number of available course training slots;
• EPA training location staff having priority registration over all other registrations; and/or
• Hosting site Training Coordinator approval.

In the event a course is subsequently postponed or canceled, or notification of registration cancellation is received, all EPA travel arrangements (airline/car rental/hotel) should be canceled in a timely manner. Registered students will receive a notification via email if/when a course is postponed and/or cancelled.

Notice:For in-person course deliveries, confirmed course registered participants must abide by all facility physical access requirements for the location (examples: check-in at the security gate, Federal ID, Government PIV/CAC cards, photo id’s, etc.).  If applicable for the course or location, restrictions may apply to non-citizens and acceptable identification may be required for facility entry.  Unless otherwise specified, ERTP TRAINING IS GENERALLY NOT OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES, ACADEMIA, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES.

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Cascade Locks, OR Event Details   October 5, 2015 - October 8, 2015