Board Resolutions

Board Resolution 23-01: Urging the United States Coast Guard to Homeport a Sentinel-Class Cutter, Also Known as the Fast Response Cutter, in Port Valdez

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The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council passed Resolution 23-01 on September 21, 2023: Urging the United States Coast Guard to Homeport a Sentinel-Class Cutter, Also Known as the Fast Response Cutter, in Port Valdez

WHEREAS, the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council was established after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and is mandated by Congress in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to promote the environmentally safe transportation of crude oil from the Valdez Marine Terminal through Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska; and

WHEREAS, the Trans Alaska Pipeline System is the lifeblood of the Alaska economy, with its terminal in Port Valdez seen as critical to both national security and energy infrastructure, and understood to be a target for terrorism; and

WHEREAS, the volume of oil, which accounts for roughly 3-4% of the nation’s supply, is transported through the environmentally sensitive and pristine Prince William Sound, necessitating a high level of care to help protect Alaska, its residents, communities, economies, and environments; and

WHEREAS, Port Valdez is a designated United States Maritime Administration Alternate Strategic Port, as a means to ensure readiness in support of force deployment during contingencies and other national defense emergencies; and

WHEREAS, there were no on-water United States Coast Guard assets available in Port Valdez after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, requiring the United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) ANACAPA to be relocated to Port Valdez from Petersburg, Alaska, in recognition of the need for a cutter to help protect the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, including the Valdez Marine Terminal and its associated shipping infrastructure in Port Valdez; and

WHEREAS, starting with the USCGC LONG ISLAND, an Island-Class cutter has been homeported in Port Valdez since 2003; and

WHEREAS, the United States Coast Guard currently has no plans to replace the USCGC LIBERTY currently stationed in Port Valdez that is at the end of its service life; and

WHEREAS, threats to national security and critical energy infrastructure, such as the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 and the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, emphasize the need for a timely and effective response from the coast in Port Valdez; and

WHEREAS, after the departure of the USCGC LIBERTY, the nearest cutters will be in Cordova at more than two hours away, Seward at five hours away, and Kodiak at 12 hours away; and

WHEREAS, the presence of a USCGC stationed in Port Valdez is a recognized and valued asset in enhancing marine safety and the safe transportation of crude oil in Prince William Sound, both in preventing and responding to oil spills; and

WHEREAS, in addition to support in prevention of oil spills and directing the Federal response to a spill, a cutter can serve in multiple operational roles including law enforcement, search and rescue, and fisheries enforcement; and

WHEREAS, recent conflicts within the Prince William Sound Traffic Lanes of the Valdez Narrows, with fishing and recreational vessels encroaching on the security zones in place to protect crude oil tankers, create a navigational safety risk and highlight the need for a continued presence by the United States Coast Guard to enforce the security zones that were permanently established after September 11, 2001, under 33 CFR 165.1710.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council urges the United States Coast Guard to homeport a Sentinel-Class cutter, also known as the Fast Response cutter, in Port Valdez; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council supports efforts by the City of Valdez to secure the homeporting of a Sentinel-Class cutter in Port Valdez.

PASSED AND APPROVED by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council on this 21 day of September 2023.

 

Board passes resolution honoring Patience Andersen Faulkner

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The Council’s longest-serving member of its Board of Directors has retired from her service to the Council. At its meeting on May 5, the Council passed a unanimous resolution honoring Andersen Faulkner. The full text is below.

Related: A good neighbor reflects on the art of listening

Resolution 22-01: Commending and Expressing Gratitude for Patience Andersen Faulkner’s Dedication and Service to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and in Alaska

Photo of Patience Andersen Faulkner
Patience Andersen Faulkner

WHEREAS, during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Patience Andersen Faulkner served as a paralegal assisting fishermen in Cordova, Alaska, to successfully process claims for damages, as well as supporting community members as they grappled with the aftermath of the spill; and,

WHEREAS, on December 3, 1998, Faulkner was seated on the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council Board of Directors, representing the Cordova District Fishermen United, making her the Council’s longest-serving Director, with a stellar attendance record, having made 114 Board meetings; and,

WHEREAS, Faulkner’s pioneering work with Dr. Steve Picou documenting the profound human health and societal impacts of oil spills has been recognized and accepted by federal regulators and the President’s Oil Spill Commission, and is now recommended for the list of damages that responsible parties must legally acknowledge and attempt to address in the wake of a large oil spill; and,

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Board Resolution 19-03: Safeguarding Alaska’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Standards

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Cover of report titled "Alaska's Oil Spill Response Planning Standard - History and Legislative Intent
To find out more about the history and legislative intent of Alaska’s strong Response Planning Standards, read the Council’s August 2018 report: Alaska’s Oil Spill Response Planning Standard – History and Legislative Intent (Council report/PDF)

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council passed Resolution 19-03 on October 29, 2019: Safeguarding Alaska’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Standards

WHEREAS, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Congress found that complacency on the part of industry and regulators played a role in the spill, the public trust was broken, and one way to combat this complacency and rebuild trust was to involve the public, those with the most to lose in the event of a large spill, in decisions that affect the safe transportation of oil;

WHEREAS, Congress enacted the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that included, among other things, the creation of citizen advisory councils for Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound;

WHEREAS, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Alaska citizens and the Alaska Legislature worked together to protect the state from major oil spills by enacting comprehensive laws and regulations (Council report/PDF) dealing with prevention, response, contingency planning, financial responsibility, oversight, monitoring, and other subjects related to the safe handling and transportation of oil and other hazardous substances;

WHEREAS, these laws and regulations were based on real world experiences and the painful lessons of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and were crafted in coordination with State government and oil industry partners, requiring extensive compromise in the determined Response Planning Standards ;

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Board passes resolution commending Douglas K. Mertz

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Resolution 19-02:

Commending and Expressing Gratitude for Douglas K. Mertz’s Dedication
and Service to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and the State of Alaska

Photo of appreciation gift presented to Doug Mertz and Margo Waring.
Appreciation gift presented to Doug Mertz and Margo Waring by Board President Robert Archibald and Executive Director Donna Schantz on May 3, 2019.

Whereas, Douglas K. Mertz launched his Alaska legal career in 1974 as Law Clerk to Hon. Jay A. Rabinowitz, Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, quickly advancing to several Assistant Attorney General positions he held in Fairbanks and Juneau from 1975 to 1991, before entering private law practice in 1991;

Whereas, one of Doug Mertz’s primary areas of focus in over 45 years of legal practice in Alaska has been oil transportation and pollution issues;

Whereas, Doug Mertz was the State of Alaska’s primary counsel on spill matters and Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) regulation from 1977-1990;

Whereas, Doug Mertz represented the State for the Chevron v. Hammond case in the U.S. Court of Appeals, establishing that state oil spill penalties are not preempted by federal law;

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