Oil Spill Planning and Risk Management
In the arena of oil spill planning and risk management, Sutherland energy and environmental lawyers work closely with domestic and international oil and oil trading companies. Our attorneys help our clients evaluate and minimize the risks associated with the movement of crude oil and both persistent and non-persistent petroleum products through waters of the United States, the Americas and world-wide. Our activities include the following:
- We assist national oil companies, refiners, importers and traders in understanding their legal responsibilities under international conventions and U.S. federal and state laws.
- With the assistance of a network of local counsel, we guide our clients through the requirements of Canadian federal and provincial laws, and the laws of jurisdictions in Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, the European Economic Community and South America.
- We counsel clients in the development of barge and vessel vetting programs that assist them in chartering modern, safe barges and vessels with high quality ownership and crews.
- We design comprehensive and tailored emergency response plans for vessel charterers and petroleum cargo owners.
- We help develop crisis management tools to respond to actual and potential public concerns with respect to spill incidents.
- We assist clients in the management of oil spill incidents in the United States and in international jurisdictions.
- Using multi-disciplinary resources, we design and implement oil spill drill scenarios, either as desktop exercises or as full-fledged drills.
© 2008 Sutherland