The new NWIFC Magazine (available free to download) includes two articles on oil spill prevention by the Makah Tribe. One focusses on the significant role the tribe has taken to prevent and respond to oil spills:
Recent federal legislation has increased the Makah Tribe’s role in oil spill response efforts and the amount of response equipment positioned in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The catastrophic Gulf oil spill and new federal regulations are bringing needed changes not only to oil spill preparedness, but the way federal, state, local and industry representatives interact with tribes who have treaty-protected resources at stake, said Chad Bowechop, manager of the tribe’s Office of Marine Affairs.
The other, on contributions by Makah tribal members on the gulf coast last summer:
Even 2,300 miles away from his Neah Bay home, Bill Lawrence found similarities between life as a Makah tribal member and life in Louisiana, where he spent more than two months assisting with the massive cleanup response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the Gulf Coast.
Lawrence and others who work for a Marine Spill Response Corp. unit based in Neah Bay were sent to Louisiana in April as the broken well spewed an estimated 172 million gallons of oil over 86 days into Gulf waters before being capped. The full effects of the spill on sea life and hundreds of miles of Gulf coastline still are being estimated.
Based in Grand Isle and Venice, La., Lawrence completed two tours of duty totaling nine weeks. His first tour began on the second day of the spill. Grand Isle was still reeling from the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina.
