“This is what we do,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coordinator Michelle Rogow said Tuesday in defense of the federal response at Refugio State Beach one week after about 100,000 gallons of crude leaked from a Plains All American pipeline.
Rogow’s remarks came in response to frustrations expressed by Santa Barbara County supervisors. For starters, supes asked, “Who’s in charge?” They were told both the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard act as unified commanders, as both land and water were contaminated by the oil spill.
“We’re joined at the hip,” said U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jennifer Williams. “We make no decisions without each other.” Orders are given to nearly 1,000 people from a half-dozen state and local agencies, including the county’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Plains is also included.