The Observer, December 2003

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Pipeline spill plan is under council review

The citizens’ council is in the process of reviewing proposed changes to the oil spill prevention and response plan for the southern portion of the trans-Alaska pipeline, where a spill into a river could introduce oil into Prince William Sound.

The changes are intended to implement the latest reorganization effort by Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates the 800-mile pipeline, as well as the Valdez tanker terminal and the fleet of rescue and response tugs that escort loaded tankers through Prince William Sound.

Alyeska’s reorganization, which it calls “Strategic Reconfiguration,” would modernize pump stations along the pipeline, primarily by converting them to electric power. The result would be lower costs for the company and fewer personnel at the pump stations.

Pipeline workers would instead operate out of regional response centers in Prudhoe Bay, Galbraith, Prospect Creek, the Yukon River crossing, Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Glennallen and Valdez.

The first round of comments ended Sept. 17. The council was among many commenters who contended the first version of the new plan did not provide enough information to determine whether Alyeska would remain in compliance with planning requirements after the reconfiguration.

“We are gravely concerned about the scope of the proposed amendments, because they appear to significantly reduce the oil spill prevention and response capability for the pipeline,” the council wrote on Sept 15. “We are staunchly opposed to any reduction in the oil spill prevention and response readiness.”

State regulators agreed with those comments and directed the company to supply additional information by Nov. 17, with the next round of comments due by Dec. 8.

The citizens’ council operates primarily on funds provided by Alyeska under a contract signed shortly after the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. That contract specifies the council is to oversee operations of the terminal and tanker fleet, but bans it from using Alyeska funds to conduct oversight of the pipeline.

However, the council has always taken the view that the lower portion of the pipeline – approximately 170 miles – is within its purview because oil spilled there could travel down the Lowe or Copper River into Prince William Sound. In the words of Executive Director John Devens, “the question of whether the oil comes from a tanker, the Valdez terminal or the pipeline is pretty much a quibble.”

To pay for its review in the past, the council has obtained grant funds. It has done so again this year, receiving a $10,000 grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation in September.

The council’s September comments on the pipeline contingency plan can be viewed on our web site at: www.pwsrcac.org/projects/cplanrvw4.html