Emergencies

The petroleum industry occasionally experiences supply and distribution problems, but in general it is resilient to short-term disruptions. A “just-in-time” business strategy – which means having the minimum amount of inventory available to meet demand – creates an efficient, but tight, supply chain under normal conditions. Oregon’s primary fuel terminals in Portland and Eugene are on a six-day refueling cycle, meaning the state has less than one week’s supply of reserves on hand at any given time. Oregon faces additional challenges because all of the refined petroleum products used in Oregon are imported from outside the state, and any significant disruption to pipeline or refinery operations can quickly become problematic.

Threats to the region’s fuel infrastructure include natural hazards, intentional acts, equipment failures, and pandemics. Examples of natural hazards include earthquakes, winter storms, wildfires, heat waves, floods, and droughts. Cyberattacks, physical security breaches, mechanical breakdowns, terrorism, and war are examples of intentional acts. Pandemics like COVID-19 and H1N1 also pose risks to the critical workforce at refineries, terminals, pipelines, delivery companies, and retail fueling outlets. A workforce reduction could affect the fuel supply chain and distribution system. As the climate changes, many of these natural hazards are intensifying in frequency and magnitude, posing increased risks to energy systems.

During state-declared emergencies, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) may activate the State Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) to direct and coordinate the state’s overall response to an event. During State ECC activations, ODOE and other state agencies with emergency response duties report to the State ECC virtually or in person to support the state’s overall response and Governor’s Disaster Cabinet recovery effort.

• ODOE’s Director guides and advises state leadership on policy issues and concerns surrounding fuel disruptions. ODOE’s Director reports to the Governor’s Disaster Cabinet.

• ODOE emergency preparedness staff works with petroleum industry partners to assess the severity of supply disruptions, determine risks to public health and safety, and identify solutions to mitigate supply and distribution concerns. ODOE emergency preparedness staff report to the ECC to coordinate with other ESF agencies to ensure interdependencies are addressed among all critical lifeline services.

• ODOE’s Public Information Officers develop and disseminate emergency fuel information and protective action instructions and provide support to the state’s Joint Information Center.

Oregon adopted and implemented FEMA’s Community Lifelines construct for the state’s response framework. The community lifelines enable the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and are essential to human health and safety and economic security. Community lifelines increase effectiveness in disaster operations and better position agencies to respond to a catastrophic event. The Community Lifelines construct allows ODOE and other state agencies to:

• Rapidly determine the scale and complexity of a disaster.

• Identify the severity, root causes, and interdependencies of impacts to critical lifesaving and life-sustaining services within affected areas.

• Develop operational priorities and objectives that focus response efforts on the delivery of these services by the most effective means available.

• Communicate disaster-related information across all levels of public, private, and non-profit sectors using a commonly understood language. Guide response operations to support and facilitate their integration across mission areas.

In coordination with OEM, ODOE and the Oregon Public Utility Commission established three event escalation levels for the Energy Community Lifeline. Learn more about the escalation levels.