News Release Archives

News release: Public input needed to safeguard state protections

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Photo of Robert Archibald
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.

By Robert Archibald 
Board President

Also published in the Anchorage Daily News

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.

(Update: November 2021)

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Council’s Board of Directors to meet in Anchorage

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The Council will hold a Board meeting in Anchorage on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 23-24, 2020. The meeting will be located in the Imagine Ballroom of the Embassy Suites, at 600 E. Benson Blvd.

The tentative schedule for the Thursday Board meeting session is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Friday, the meeting is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The meeting is open to the public, except for executive sessions. Public comments are tentatively scheduled to be taken Thursday starting at 8:55 a.m.

January 2020 Meeting Agenda and Documents

The Council will be conducting regular business during the meeting, including updates from council ex-officio members, staff and committees. Other topics on the agenda include:

  • An activity report by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on Valdez Marine Terminal and Ship Escort/Response Vessel System operations.
  • Comments from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response Director Denise Koch on the current status of the division’s budget for FY2021.
  • An overview by Council staff on recommendations from the Legislative Affairs Committee for a Council position on ensuring the sustainability of the State Oil and Hazardous Substances Release Prevention and Response Fund.
  • An update by Council staff on efforts in response to a public scoping notice issued in October 2019 by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to solicit comments and input on Alaska oil spill regulations (18 AAC 75, Article 4) and Alaska State Statute 46.04, specifically where the discharge prevention and contingency plan requirements can be eliminated or streamlined.
  • A briefing from Council staff on the status of the state review of the sale of BP Pipeline’s assets to Hilcorp/Harvest Alaska, LLC.
  • An update on U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M Certificate of Inspection Regulation.
  • A report on the results of Port Valdez mussel transcriptomics monitoring in 2019, conducted in order to understand the potential environmental impacts of the Valdez Marine Terminal. The analysis concentrated on mussel genes associated with crude oil pollution as well as other environmental stressors.
  • A report on Prince William Sound forage fish surveys conducted in 2019. These surveys were conducted from an airplane along the entire coastline of Prince William Sound and were focused on identifying juvenile forage fish (e.g., herring, sandlance, capelin).
  • A summary by Council staff of incidents (e.g., oil spills, fires, malfunctions causing shutdowns, navigational closures, tanker/escort incidents) for the terminal or tankers that have occurred in 2019.
  • Introduction and update by the Council’s new state legislative affairs monitor, Kate Troll.

The meeting agenda provided is subject to change before or during the meeting. Council board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.

Meet the Board of Directors

News release: Prince William Sound RCAC board to meet in Anchorage

Recertification application available for public review

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The Council is seeking recertification as the alternative voluntary advisory group for Prince William Sound, as authorized under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). The application has been submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is charged with assessing whether the Council fosters the general goals and purposes of OPA 90 and is broadly representative of communities and interests as envisioned under OPA 90.

The recertification application is now available for public review:

To obtain a printed copy, contact the the Council at (907) 277-7222, toll-free (800) 478-7221, or email Brooke Taylor.

Comments need to reach the USCG by February 10, 2020, and should reference “PWSRCAC Recertification Docket USCG-2019-0946” in the subject line.

Comments on the application should be sent to LT Ian McPhillips of the USCG:

  • Submit by email: Ian.P.McPhillips@uscg.mil.
  • Submit by mail:Commander, 17th Coast Guard District (dpi)
    PO Box 25517
    Juneau AK 99802
    Attn: LT Ian McPhillips
    Inspections & Investigations
  • Submit online:  Submit comments on the application for Recertification of Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council

 

News release: Board issues position on safeguarding Alaska’s oil spill prevention and response standards

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Input from public critical to protect Alaska coastlines and communities

The Council voted on October 29, 2019, to pass a resolution stating strong opposition to any legislative or regulatory changes that erode oil spill prevention and response standards, increase the risk of a catastrophic spill, or demonstrate a return of the complacency on the part of oil the industry and regulators that Congress determined to be a primary cause of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The resolution was prompted by a public scoping process recently opened by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The department is soliciting input from stakeholders, the public, and industry on areas where Alaska oil spill regulations (18 AAC 75, Article 4) and Alaska State Statute 46.04 (AS 46.04), Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Control, could be streamlined.

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