Federal legislation on tanker escorts passes U.S. House, now before Senate
Kodiak incident underscores need for escorts
By STAN JONES, Director of External Affairs
Efforts by the citizens’ council to save the system of dual escort tugs for loaded oil tankers in Prince William Sound took a major step forward last fall when the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill with language to preserve the escort system.
The measure was the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, which passed the House on October 23.
Alaska Congressman Don Young, working with Chairman James Oberstar of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was instrumental in getting the language included in the bill.
“Congressman Young and Chairman Oberstar deserve great credit and appreciation by all of the communities of Prince William Sound and the entire Exxon Valdez oil spill region for their work on this issue,” said Steve Lewis, president of the citizens’ council.
In a statement released after the bill’s passage, Young emphasized the importance of the double-escort requirement.
“Twenty years ago, the state of Alaska suffered the worst tragedy of its history during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill,” Young said. “We are still learning from the mistakes of that disaster and this bill works toward a safer and better future for our waterways.”
The double-escorts effort gained additional urgency and intensified support after a January 17 incident in which the Exxon tanker Kodiak lost engine power at Hinchinbrook Entrance after problems with an electrical generator. The escort tugs Tanerliq and Aware hooked up to the tanker to keep it on track. It was towed to a safe anchorage at Knowles Head and was cleared by the Coast guard to depart Prince William Sound the next day.
Alaska’s U.S. senators, Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski, both cited the Kodiak assist as further proof of the need for dual escorts. “The tug escort prevention system works, and even though it is rare for a tanker to lose power, this is not the first time it has happened and it won’t be the last,” Murkowski said. “We must maintain the present escort system indefinitely.”
Under a federal law passed after the spill, escorts are required for loaded single-hull tankers in Prince William Sound. The same law bans single-hulled tankers after 2015.
For now, the practice is to escort all tankers, regardless of hull configuration. The council is concerned this could change with the switch to all double-hulled vessels. This is what prompted the council’s effort to maintain the status quo by extending the requirement to double-hulled tankers.
While double hulls on a tanker can reduce the size of some spills and prevent others, the design feature is not a cure-all. A Coast Guard study after the single-hulled Exxon Valdez’s grounding on Bligh Reef concluded a double hull could have cut the 11-million-gallon spill by as much as 60 percent. But that would have left a still-catastrophic spill of 4.4 million gallons of North Slope crude.
The Senate has not yet passed its version of the Coast Guard bill. The council will be working to have the escorts language is included in whatever version of the bill goes to final passage.
New panel would coordinate efforts on invasive species
In the legislative session that started Jan. 19, the citizens’ council will continue supporting House Bill 12 to establish the Alaska Council on Invasive Species.
The council would coordinate efforts by state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations to deal with invasions of Alaska’s lands and waters by non-indigenous species of plants, animals, and fish.
The issue has long been of concern to the citizens’ council because of the risk that non-indigenous species arriving in oil tanker ballast water could establish themselves in Prince William Sound and harm indigenous populations, including commercial fish species.
The bill, introduced last year and sponsored by Anchorage Rep. Craig Johnson, would create a 14-member council. Five seats would held by the commissioners of various state departments with the remaining seats representing soil and water conservation districts, conservation organizations, farmers, landscapers, commercial fishermen, commercial shippers, the University of Alaska agricultural program, Native corporations, and the public at large.
The council, according to the bill, would “plan and coordinate efforts that address the threats posed to the state and its residents by invasive species.” It would involve federal departments and agencies in the process.
The citizens’ council’s efforts in Washington and Juneau are managed by the Legislative Affairs Committee, made up of council board members. John Velsko is chair, with Blake Johnson as vice chair. The other members are Patience Andersen Faulkner, Al Burch, Iver Malutin, Pat Duffy, John French, and Walt Parker.