At the January meeting, the Council’s Board of Directors seated a new member, Ben Cutrell, as the representative for Chugach Alaska Corporation.
Cutrell was born and raised in Wasilla, Alaska. He moved to Anchorage to pursue a Bachelor’s of Natural Science and Biology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Upon completion of his degree, he went to work for Chugach Alaska Corporation. At Chugach, he works in the Lands department on special projects that help protect and preserve Corporation and heritage land for future generations.
Cutrell replaced Peter Andersen, who resigned in late 2019. Cutrell was also seated as a member-at-large on the Executive Committee, filling the seat left vacant by Andersen.
Robert Archibald is the president of the board of directors for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and has lived in Homer since 1984. Archibald spent 46 years as a mariner, including service in the U.S. Coast Guard and 32 years as chief engineer on Crowley Marine Service vessels in various locations, 22 of which were in Valdez, before retiring in 2014.
In 1971, the Alaska Legislature formed the Department of Environmental Conservation to take the lead on Alaska’s environmental protections. DEC’s mission, set by the legislation which formed it, is: conserving, improving, and protecting Alaska’s natural resources and environment to enhance the health, safety, economic, and social well-being of Alaskans.
Now, here we are, 30 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the creation of regional citizens advisory councils in Alaska, and coming up on 30 years since the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The world-class oil spill prevention and response system in Prince William Sound is a direct result of post-Exxon Valdez spill laws and regulations designed to protect Alaska. These strong statutes and regulations are one of the main reasons why Prince William Sound has not had a major oil spill since.
Currently, DEC is undertaking a “scoping process,” asking for comments from industry and the public on oil spill prevention and response regulations and statutes, which the DEC Commissioner has stated have become “onerous and burdensome” to business. The deadline to comment, March 16, 2020, is quickly approaching.
