News & Announcements

20th Anniversary Events

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A multi-community event took place March 24, 2009 commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Click here to view the Partners in Prevention Flyer. Participating communities were linked by video conferencing.

PWSRCAC events by time and location:

March 24, 2009 8:30 am-6:00pm

9:00—10:30 Anchorage—Dena’ina Center, 600 W. 7th Avenue, K’enakatnu Executive Board Room Reunion of the Alaska Sea Grant Legal Research Team (Research Team)
The national team was recruited in 1989 by then-Alaska Sea Grant director, Ronald Dearborn, to study how the State of Alaska might improve its oversight of oil transport. The legal analysis was provided to the Alaska Oil Spill Commission (AOSC), which used the information to help craft its 1990 report to Governor Steve Cowper. The AOSC report subsequently helped guide the Alaska Legislature in formulating new and improved regulations governing the marine transport of crude oil and other hazardous substances. Walt Parker, then director of the AOSC, will lead the panel discussion. Panelists will recount the critical role played by the AOSC, review Alaska’s pre-spill regulatory system and how it changed with the help of Alaska Sea Grant’s research, and what might be done today to further ensure the safe transport of hazardous substances at sea. Three of the four Research Team members will participate, including Zygmunt Plater, professor of environmental law, Boston College School of Law; Harry Bader, former University of Alaska Fairbanks professor of natural resource policy and Alaska Department of Natural Resources official; and Alison Rieser, Department of Geography and Graduate Ocean Policy Program, University of Hawaii: Charlie Cole and John Havelock, both former Attorney Generals and currently in law practice will participate as well.

10:30—12:00 Dena’ina Center, 600 W. 7th Avenue, K’enakatnu Executive Board Room Partners in Prevention and Response Panel
Industry, agency and citizen group representatives will discuss 20 years of improvements in oil transportation. Donna Schantz, Acting Executive Director, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council Tim Plummer, President, Tesoro Maritime Anil Mathur, CEO, Alaska Tanker Company Greg Jones, V.P. Operations, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Betty Schorr, Industry Preparedness Program Manager, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

12:00– 1:00 Book signing: “The Spill: Personal Stories of the Exxon Valdez Disaster” Den’ina Center

1:00-1:45 Herring Restoration Panel (Cordova) Forest Service building
Presented by Cordova’s Prince William Sound Science Center and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute, scientists will discuss the current status of herring restoration in Prince William Sound. Nancy Bird, President of the Prince William Sound Science Center, and Director of the Oil Spill Recovery Institute in Cordova will moderate the discussion with Dr. Scott Pegau and R.J. Kopchak.

1:45—2:45 Cordova Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Using data collected in 2004, Dr. Scott Pegau of the Oil Spill Recovery Institute will demonstrate the Alaska Ocean Observing System. When fully developed AOOS will serve as the Alaska regional node for a national network o observing systems; deliver real time information and long term trends about Alaska’s ocean conditions and marine life; and provide public internet access to data on coastal conditions.

2:45—3:00 Break

3:00—3:45 Valdez, Civic and Convention Center Mike Meadors Alyeska/SERVS

3:45—4:45 Seward, UAF Seward Marine Center, 201 Railway, sponsored by Alaska Sealife Center
Dr. Pam Tuomi who was involved in animal rehabilitation during the spill will discuss that as well as current state of preparedness. Darryl Schaefermeyer, who was Seward’s City Manager during the spill will discuss Seward’s experiences at that time.

4:45—5:30 Kenai , Challenger Learning Center, 9711 Kenai Spur Hwy.
Trent Dobson, Director of Outreach for the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council will give an overview of the council and highlight some of its projects.

Reflections of a Spill: 20 Years Later Sponsored by the Pratt Museum, 3779 Bartlett St.
This is an art and science collaborative exhibit that encourages Alaskan artists and scientists to reflect on the impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Reception on March 24th from 5-7 pm followed by a candlelight procession to the Bunnell Street Art Center. exhibits@prattmuseum.org

Spill …20th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Sponsored by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and the Bunnell Street Art Center, 106 W. Bunnell
This show will feature approximately 30 Alaskan artists of all mediums and backgrounds. A reception on March 24 at 7:30 will include performing artists and writers. This show will be available for travel. www.bunnellstreetgallery.com

Barnes and Noble Exhibit
Please stop by at 200 E. Northern Lights. For the month of March Barnes and Noble in Anchorage will feature books on the oil spill as well as the region afftected by the spill.

Images of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on Kodiak Island
Sponsored by Toby Sullivan , Kodiak Maritime Museum. March 20 5:00 pm-6:00 pm, Kodiak College.

Oral History book signing
Sponsored by the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge on March 21st, 10:00 am-2:00 pm, National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center.

The following events are not directly sponsored by PWSRCAC:

EVOS and Alaska Sea Grant—People, Process, and Progress

March 2009 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 20th Anniversary events sponsored by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program and the National Sea Grant Law Center, University of Mississippi. For more information please visit the Alaska Seagrant events page.

Kodiak Events

The community of Kodiak will host a slew of events aimed to commemorate the spill and its effects, as witnessed by the downstream island. Please visit the Kodiak Events Page to view events in the Kodiak community.

Oil Spills, Oceans and Otters: Twenty Years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Please join the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, the Alaska Zoo, and the Alaska Sealife Center for Oil Spills, Oceans and Otters: Twenty Years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Visit the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council’s events page for schedules and information.

Kodiak Events

Saturday at the Kodiak Maritime Museum – March 14

“Kodiak Out Loud!” Seven fisher poets, writers and musicians present original poetry, stories and songs about the sea. – EVOS Theme
Location: Kodiak Auditorium
Time: 7 p.m.
Contact Person: Toby Sullivan – 907-360-8837

Tuesday KMXT Public Radio – March 17
“Talk of the Rock” Interview with Dr. Stanley (Jeep) Rice, expert physiologist/toxicologist on the impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Location: KMXT Studios
Time: 12:30 – 1:00pm
Contact person: Jay Barrett – KMXT

Kodiak Maritime Museum – March 20
“Images of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on Kodiak Island” Community reception and display of images and video of the oil spill shot during the summer of 1989 in Kodiak.
Location: Kodiak College – Rooms 128 – 130 BBB
Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Toby Sullivan, Director of the KMM introduces exhibit
Contact person: Toby Sullivan – 486-0384
Food catered by Mill Bay Coffee – 5:00pm – 6:00pm

NOTE: Community Reception hosted by Kodiak Maritime Museum, Kodiak Audubon Society, Friends of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge,
Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Kodiak College Community Engagement Committee

Kodiak College and Maritime Museum – March 20
Dr. Duane A. Gill, Professor of Sociology, Mississippi State University
Speaking on sociological/economic impacts of the EVOS
Location: Kodiak College – Rooms 128 – 130 BBB
Time: 6:00pm – 7:15pm
Contact person: Mark Schreiter – 486-1277

EXXON Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council “Alaska’s Oil Spill” – March 20
New 15-minute documentary on the EVOS.
 Location: Kodiak College – Rooms 128 – 130 BBB
Time: 7:20pm – 7:40pm
Contact person: Stacy Studebaker – 486-6498

Kodiak Audubon Society Friends of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge – March 20
 Speaker: Dr. Stanley Rice – NOAA Juneau, Auk Bay Lab Physiologist  & Toxicologist presents:
“Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Long Term Persistence and Long Term Effects”

Dr. Rice will present a Power Point lecture on the long-term persistence and impacts resulting from the EVOS on killer whales, herring, pink salmon and sea otters as well as the toxicity of lingering oil.
Location: Kodiak College – Rooms 128 – 130 BBB
Time: 7:45pm – 9:00pm
Contact person: Stacy Studebaker – 486-6498
Click here to view a PDF flyer, featuring information about this event.

9:00 – 10:00 – A social hour and image presentation.

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge – March 21
Book signing of EVOS Oral Histories and open house
Location: Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Special Guests: John Devens & Stan Jones of the PWSRCAC and local
Kodiak residents featured in the book.
Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm
Contact person: Tina Shaw–487-2626, Linda Robinson: robinson@pwsrcac

Kodiak Maritime Museum – March 21
“Images of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill on Kodiak Island”
Display of images and video of the oil spill shot during the summer of 1989 in Kodiak.
Location: Kodiak College – Rooms 128 – 130 BBB
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm Toby Sullivan, Director of the KMM introduces exhibit
Contact person: Toby Sullivan – 486-0384

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
Speaker: Tim Richardson – Director of Government Affairs -American Land Conservancy
Former Director of the Kodiak Brown Bear Trust
Author of: Kodiak Bears and the Exxon Valdez
Tim has helped to direct land purchases and conservation easements for habitat restoration throughout the archipelago.

Location: Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
Time: 7:00pm
Contact person: Tina Shaw – 487-2626

Kodiak Historical Society – April 4 – April 30   
Baranov Museum
Sponsored by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and the Bunnell Street Arts Center, Homer
“SPILL” A Commemorative Exhibition of artwork by 30 Alaskan artists. “SPILL” will showcase the artist’s individual interpretations of the EVOS as informed by diverse cultural values, experiences, beliefs, and artistic passions.
Location: Baranov Museum
Time:TBA
Contact person: Katie Oliver – 486-5920

Seismic Studies of the Valdez Marine Terminal

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Because better seismic engineering is now available for asset protection and because the 1964 earthquake is now believed to have been more severe than originally thought, the council is concerned that the seismic protection of Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) assets may not be adequate for an earthquake of the size that occurred in 1964.

Specific concerns are the stability of containment dikes around the various types of storage tanks, slope stability, stability of earth and rock support under storage tanks, and the structural integrity of all oil handling components of the VMT, especially those weakened by corrosion.

Project Objectives

  • identify extent to which VMT may not satisfy current seismic engineering standards
  • examine seismic re-engineering issues at the VMT
  • recommend feasible seismic re-engineering activities for the VMT
  • identify current risks of significant oil spills due to large earthquakes at or near the VMT
  • coordinate with other seismic studies being conducted in Alaska
  • identify if degradation of physical plant has lessened its capability to withstand earthquakes

The Joint Pipeline Office (JPO) has indicated to Alyeska that the seismic standards to which Alyeska structures and facilities must conform are those described in IBC 2003 (International Building Code -2003). It is expected that those facilities and structures not presently conforming may be fully or partially grandfathered to older standards.

Seismic Reengineering VMT  (3.2 MB)

Earthquake, Landslide and Tsunami Hazards in the Port Valdez area, Alaska  (2.8 MB)

Rock Slope Stability VMT  (1.7 MB)

Aquatic Noise

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The Council contracted in 2007 with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute for a literature search and review of aquatic noise pollution in Prince William Sound.

The goal of this project was to determine the effects, if any, of vessel traffic noise on marine life in Prince William Sound and to recommend practical mitigation measures should a deleterious effect from noise pollution be determined.

The effect of tankers and their escort tugs transiting Prince William Sound on the underwater marine environment was largely unknown. It was unknown what research, if any, has been done on stress related problems on marine mammals from vessel traffic.

The Council is tasked under OPA90 to determine environmental effects from operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and the crude oil transport and delivery system.

The project was completed in October of 2007 with the final report’s approval at the January 2008 Board meeting.

Download the report: 

Aquatic Noise Report

Bibliography For Aquatic Noise Report

Dismantling, Removal, and Restoration Fund

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The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) was constructed through the central portion of Alaska on right-of-way lands granted by federal, state, and private landowners. There is a Dismantling, Removal, and Restoration (DR&R) obligation originating in the pipeline right-of-way grant and lease agreements with the state and federal governments. PWSRCAC had concerns about the TAPS DR&R fund.

DR&R stipulations specify that upon completion of the use of TAPS that the land is restored to a satisfactory condition and that equipment is removed. All facilities at the Valdez Marine Terminal are included in DR&R for the pipeline.

Although various documents specify the DR&R requirements and mandate that the funds will be available for this intended purpose, they are silent on the management of DR&R collections. Instead, government officials rely on the assumption that the legal obligations of the right-of-way grant and lease are sufficient to compel the TAPS owners to perform DR&R when required and that the guaranty requirements of the right-of-way grant and lease would assure availability of sufficient funds from the owners at that time.

Because it is possible for ownership interests to change, PWSRCAC and the public require assurance that funds and other resources set aside for DR&R purposes by one owner will be transferred to any new owner, that sufficient funds and resources are being set aside by the current owners, and that these resources will be available and sufficient for DR&R purposes at the end of the useful life of TAPS. DR&R obligations are often disputed by the various responsible parties because meeting such obligations will require the expenditure of significant financial resources by both the pipeline owners and operators.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska requested public comment on the need for regulations governing the accounting treatment of DR&R under AS 42.06 for oil and natural gas pipelines subject to their jurisdiction.

PWSRCAC’s recommendations to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska include implementation of the following broad policy recommendations regarding management of the DR&R fund:

  1. Petroleum pipeline owners should be required to establish external trust accounts for the receipt of all past and future petroleum pipeline DR&R collections necessary to accomplish their intended purposes.
  2. Regulations should be developed to ensure that DR&R funds collected in the future are sufficient and will be employed in a timely manner for their intended purpose.
  3. Because uncertainties inherent in the long-range forecasting make it difficult, if not impossible, to forecast the amounts necessary for DR&R in the distant future, all petroleum pipeline DR&R collection schedules should be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure that collection levels are appropriate to their particular task.
  4. Regulations governing DR&R should be crafted with careful attention to the distinction between independent (stand-alone) and producer-owner pipelines in order to identify the differential results and reduce unanticipated benefits to the latter that may reward them for delay of DR&R outlays, to the detriment of both environmental and broader public policy interests.
  5. In light of the complexity of the issues, the diversity of agencies involved and the broad and important environmental and public policy interests in the DR&R transaction, maximum transparency and the involvement of the responsible government agencies and public interest organizations are essential to constructive resolution of DR&R issues.

Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Dismantling, Removal and Restoration (DR&R): Background Report and Recommendations

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