The Observer, January 2006

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Spill response facility being proposed for Cordova area

Federal officials are seeking comments on plans for a deep-water port and equipment depot for responding to oil spills on the east side of Prince William Sound.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the project, recommends building the facility at Shepherd Point, about six miles north of Cordova. The project arises from a legal settlement in the early 1990s between the State of Alaska, the U.S. Government, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., according to the draft statement. Besides serving as a storage depot, it would be a staging area for equipment arriving by air for a spill response.

BIA developed the plan in cooperation with the Native Village of Eyak, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Highway Administration, according to cordovaresponsefacility.com , the project website.

Comments must be filed by Feb. 6. For more information contact Kristin K’eit, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Alaska Regional Office, Division of Environmental and Resource Management, PO Box 25520, Juneau AK 99802-5520, or visit the website.