News Release
Local Emergency Team Responds to Oil Spill
At today’s County Commission meeting, Commissioner Steven Abrams was updated on the county’s plans should the BP oil spill reach Palm Beach County. Abrams had requested the briefing as the commissioner representing the county’s southern coastal area.
Palm Beach County emergency directors Vince Bonvento and Bill Johnson advised the board that they are developing a Deepwater Horizons Planning Task Force made up of representatives from:
- Coast Guard
- Department of Environmental Protection
- Department of Health
- Division of Emergency Management
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental Resource Management
- County and Municipal Fire Rescue Hazmat Response Agencies
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
- PBC Animal Care & Control
- Port of Palm Beach
The Deepwater Horizons Planning Task Force will develop county specific contingency plans to address mitigation, response and recovery operations. Specific areas being addressed are:
- Protection of the county’s four (4) inlets
- Availability and cost of booms
- Environmental preservation
- Health concerns
- Wildlife protection
- Conduct human and material resource inventory
- Review utilization of ERM environmental consulting firms
The task force is planning to meet by the end of this week. Environmental consultants have been engaged and will be advising staff. Staff will also coordinate its efforts with the coastal municipalities and local environmental agencies.
