Spill Management & Media Management

As part of my job as an environmental consultant there are certain projects that require the development a formal public participation plan as part of the cleanup process for a contaminated property.  This effort usually requires working with the regulatory agencies to develop and implement a plan and roll it out to the public.  On occasion some projects such as spill reponses can require interaction with the media and public on a short-term basis with little or no time to prepare a formal media plan.  Obviously for companies or industries that deal with hazardous chemicals it is important to have formalized plans to address the spill itself.  However, many companies do not have formalized media plans in place to address public concerns as a spill is dealt with.  It is an important consideration for any company and can aid significantly in maintaining good public relations with stakeholders as the cleanup process is completed.  Attached is a link to an article I wrote following our companies involvement in a fuel tanker roll-over a number of years ago in Issaquah.

http://www.farallonconsulting.com/244_140/BePreparedWithASpillManagementPlan.htm