The Observer, July, 2009

Acting Executive Director Column:
Taking stock: looking back, looking ahead

By DONNA SCHANTZ
Acting Executive Director
Prince William Sound regional Citizens' Advisory Council

Every year at about this time, we at the council pause a moment to take stock of what’s happened in the past twelve months and what we hope will happen in the next twelve.

Looking back: This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound.
Looking ahead: It also marked the launch of a major council effort to preserve perhaps the most significant safety measure put in place since that spill: the world-class escort system that provides dual tug escorts for tankers carrying oil through the Sound.

Even as Alaskans in the oil spill region gathered to recognize the significance of the spill to our economies, lifestyles, and environment, important steps toward preserving the escorts were taking place, as discussed in detail elsewhere in the Observer. In March, the Alaska Legislature unanimously adopted a resolution calling for preservation of the escorts, speedily followed by a letter of support from Gov. Sarah Palin. And, in May, Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich introduced federal legislation to save the escorts, with Rep. Don Young working behind the scenes to get companion legislation in the U.S. House.

While the legislation is far from being signed into law, a good start has been made and we are optimistic that, a year from now, Alaskans will no longer need to wonder whether the escort tugs will still be around if another tanker should head for disaster as the Exxon Valdez did 20 years ago.

In addition to marking the Exxon Valdez anniversary and starting the escorts campaign, the council has been active on many other fronts, as well:

• We have been participating with the Prince William Sound oil shippers to test new skimmers designed to capture spilled oil better than existing systems.  We will also be working with industry and regulators to evaluate containment boom that would let the new skimmers perform even better.

• We are studying various commercially available oil-simulation materials to see whether they could be used to improve the realism and utility of on-water oil-spill cleanup training in Prince William Sound.

• Because a serious fire on a tanker or at the terminal could lead to a major disaster, we conducted an assessment of firefighting capabilities at the Valdez Marine Terminal and in Port Valdez. The study showed that the firefighting systems on the tankers and tugs, and at the Valdez Marine Terminal, meet or exceed regulations and industry standards.  However, the analysts who performed the study recommended additional training in coordinated response by all of the organizations that could become involved in fighting a terminal or tanker fire—Alyeska’s fire brigade, the Valdez city fire department, the state fire marshal, and tug and tanker crews. The council hopes to address this issue at one of its periodic firefighting symposiums.

• We brought out a comprehensive oral history of the Exxon Valdez oil spill titled “The Spill: Personal Stories of the Exxon Valdez Disaster.”  The book features interviews with over 60 people directly involved with the spill, ranging from Alaska citizens to government agency personnel to elected officials to oil industry personnel.

• We sponsored a peer-listening training session in Cordova as part of our Coping with Technological Disasters program.   New video was recorded to update the program and DVD with new coping tools and information.

• We continue to monitor Alyeska Pipeline’s renovation activities at the Ballast Water Treatment Facility.  These renovations will, when complete, significantly reduce hazardous air pollution from the facility that cleans oily residue from tanker ballast water.

• We reviewed the readiness of fishing vessels on contract to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company to determine how fast they can respond to a major oil spill. This study showed that the existing fleet is very experienced and that there appear to be enough vessels in the program.  But the ability of vessel captains and crews to respond within the tight timeframes required by contract—as little as six hours, for vessels subject to the fastest callout—needs more review.

• We initiated development of 21 additional geographic response strategies, or mini-response plans, for environmentally sensitive sites in Prince William Sound.  Site surveys for these sites have been completed and detailed written plans will be developed during the coming year, as we continue working with industry and regulators to test the 65 sites in the Sound that already have geographic response strategies.

• In an ongoing effort to understand the long-term marine effects of oil and dispersed oil, we started a hydrocarbon toxicity research project to identify the components of oil that are most involved in long-term toxicity, and to evaluate and document the impacts.

In brief, we at the citizens’ council are doing what we’ve always done since our founding in 1989: Making sure that people with the most to lose from oil spills have a clear and effective voice in decisions about oil transportation safety in Prince William Sound.

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