What Is CDFW’s Role in Handling Oil Spills?

March 25, 2021

Question: I’ve been reading news reports about the recent oil spills in the San Francisco Bay Area and learned that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is the lead state agency handling oil spills. How did the department assume this authority? (Dave)

Answer: CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) was established by the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990. The legislation came on the heels of two major spills, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, in which 11 million gallons of crude oil was released, and the American Trader spill in Orange County in 1990 that resulted in a release of 416,598 gallons of crude oil.

OSPR works to protect and preserve 3,400 miles of shoreline and 7,700 square miles of state waters from petroleum substances. When a spill occurs, OSPR deploys a team of wildlife officers, scientists and oil spill prevention specialists to manage the state’s response. These responders often work within a unified command that includes federal and local agencies, and the responsible party.

OSPR is also the state’s public trustee in protecting, managing and restoring California’s wildlife and habitat after an oil spill.