The Observer, May, 2009

Cost-cutting no excuse for cutting back on safety

By DONNA SCHANTZ
Acting Executive Director
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.

Twenty years have passed since the Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. Our organization has spent those two decades working with industry, government, and local communities to understand the lessons of the Exxon Valdez and to advocate for safeguards to make sure that nothing like it happens again.

Thanks to the foresight, vigilance and tireless efforts of elected officials, regulators, industry, and citizens, the oil-spill prevention and response system now in place in Prince William Sound is an example to the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, it may be in jeopardy. Based on comments we’re hearing, the oil industry wants to reduce it to save money.

What’s at stake?

The fleet of escort tugs that accompany loaded oil tankers in the Sound is a prevention measure unmatched anywhere else in the world. It began with an emergency order issued by the state of Alaska immediately after the grounding of the Exxon Valdez in March 1989. A two-tug escort system for loaded single hulled oil tankers was later mandated by Congress in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Since then, the escort system has improved significantly based on technical studies, on new state and federal regulations, and on the many lessons learned through years of operation and testing. The Alaska Legislature recently reaffirmed the importance of the two-tug escort system with the unanimous passage of House Joint Resolution 19 in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the spill, as did Gov. Sarah Palin in a letter to Alaska’s delegation in Congress.

On the oil-spill response side, there is probably more clean-up equipment in the Sound than in any other U.S. port, and this oil handling system is widely regarded as the most effective on earth. State-of-the-art equipment and technology, coupled with vigorous training programs for operators and oil spill responders, represent vast improvements over what was in place in 1989.

The question that increasingly concerns us is, will these safety improvements remain in place? More and more often we hear arguments from the oil industry that this system is too costly in light of declining oil flow through the trans-Alaska pipeline and the rising cost of finding and developing new oil fields.

We couldn’t disagree more. For our council, which represents the people, communities, and businesses hardest hit by the Exxon spill, safety is not optional. It’s mandatory, and a fixed cost of transporting crude oil.

It is unfortunate that it took a tragedy like the Exxon Valdez to create the world class prevention and response system we have today.

It would be even more tragic if we ignored the hard-won lessons of our own history and let it slip away because of a focus on cost-cutting.

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