Government Relations

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On a regular basis, PWSRCAC directors, board members, and staff meet with government officials on matters of policy regarding the Prince William Sound tanker trade. The council’s goal in doing so is to keep lawmakers apprised of citizen concerns and foster a good working relationship between the lawmakers and the council.

 

 

 

 

 

October 2007

John Devens, left, Stan Stephens, right, and Stan Jones (not shown) met with Captain Francis Sturm, center, while in Washington. Sturm is the Coast Guard’s Deputy Director of Prevention Policy. Photo by Stan Jones.

In mid-October 2007, Executive Director John Devens, Director of External Affairs Stan Jones, and board member Stan Stephens, who represents the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association, traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with the Alaska delegation, representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, and others. As on previous trips, the chief topic was federal legislation – particularly Senate Bill 1578 – to combat the threat of non-indigenous species reaching Prince William Sound in tanker ballast water. Other topics included the need for a one-way zone for oil tankers traveling in Valdez Arm and for a weather buoy in the area of Point Freemantle in Prince William Sound.

March 2007
Executive Director John Devens, Director of External Affairs Stan Jones, and board member Blake Johnson, who represents the Kenai Peninsula Borough on the council board, traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with the Alaska delegation, representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, and others. They met face-to-face with Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, and with Congressman Don Young to discuss issues such as the possible threat of non-indigenous species arriving in Prince William Sound through tanker ballast, ice radar in the sound, and the council's concerns about the quality of science being conducted at the Ohmsett dispersant test tank in New Jersey.

February/March 2006
Executive Director John Devens and Public Information Manager Stan Jones spent three days in Juneau meeting with several legislators and with ADEC to discuss funding for its Division of Spill Prevention and Response (SPAR). PWSRCAC continues to track this issue through the Legislative Affairs Committee (LAC) and will continue our advocacy of full funding for SPAR.

October 2005
Board President Stan Stephens, Alaska State Chamber of Commerce Board Member Tom Jensen, Executive Director John Devens, and Deputy Director Marilyn Leland traveled to Washington, D.C., in October. They met with Rep. Don Young and Sen. Lisa Murkowski to discuss ways of preserving the current escort system in Prince William Sound and the council's work on non-indigenous species. While in Washington, they also met with the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and several senior Coast Guard officers to discuss the escort vessel issue.

August 2005
PWSRCAC provided testimony for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Field Hearing, "Are Washington State's Waterways at Risk from Future Oil Spills?" Read our testimony. (pdf/173KB)

July 2005
PWSRCAC staff members and a board member met with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) representatives. ADEC requested this meeting, which was very informative and included discussions on dispersant use and in-situ burning. ADEC was very interested in learning more on PWSRCAC’s position on these topics.

June 2005
Deputy Director Marilyn Leland and staff member Tom Kuckertz visited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials at their Research Triangle Park offices in North Carolina. At Alyeska’s request, they participated in Alyeska’s presentation of its BTEX Fate Study to EPA. They also conducted a short “executive-to-executive” discussion with Sally Shaver, Director of EPA’s Emission Standards Division, regarding the status of EPA’s development of the wastewater portion of the reconsidered NESHAP OLD.

April 2005
Executive Director John Devens, Deputy Director Marilyn Leland, and Council President Stan Stephens traveled to the nation’s capital to discuss the tanker escort system with federal officials. In addition to meeting with Rep. Don Young and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, they met with various staff from the Alaska Delegation along with other key legislators to discuss the status of the Prince William Sound escort system as well as non-indigenous species issues. They met with representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard to discuss the possibility of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) for escort vessels transiting in Prince William Sound.

February 2005
On Feb. 8, 2005, Marilyn Leland, deputy director of the citizens' council, testified before the Washington legislature on bills to establish a citizen oversight group for Puget Sound. The bills were introduced in response to a crude oil spill of 1,500 gallons in Puget Sound, near Tacoma.

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