January 2016 | Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council

Report shows air pollutants in Prince William Sound reduced by hundreds of tons per year

January 9, 2024January 29, 2016 by Amanda Johnson

By AUSTIN LOVE
Council Project Manager

A new council study found that the low-sulfur fuel used in oil tankers has resulted in far less air pollution from crude oil tankers than just a few years ago.

The study, by Starcrest Consulting Group, evaluated the air pollution from tankers that traveled through Prince William Sound during 2014. The study looked at three air pollutants: nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur oxides. These pollutants are produced by internal combustion engines and released in a vessel’s exhaust. Each of the pollutants can have negative impacts on human health, contributing to heart and lung disease. Researchers calculated the amount of each of these pollutants that would have been released if the tankers had been using fuel with a sulfur content of 2.7, 1.0, or 0.1 percent. The results were then compared to determine the amount reduced.

Community Corner: The importance of public comment

January 29, 2016 by Amanda Johnson

By Lisa Matlock
Outreach Coordinator

The council regularly provides public comment on behalf of our 18 member entities on matters that support our mission of safe oil transportation in Prince William Sound. We are proud of our role as advocates on many technical topics of importance to our local citizenry.

From the Executive Director: Ignore the lessons of history at our own peril

October 10, 2024January 29, 2016 by Contributing Author

Twenty six years have passed since the Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef, spilling an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. The spill devastated the environment, fishing industry, our economy, and livelihoods. Our organization was created in the wake of this disaster to work with industry, government, and local communities to understand how this happened and to use the lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill to advocate for safeguards designed to make sure 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 a model to the rest of the world.

From Alyeska: Alyeska crew carries out pipeline maintenance and response readiness from base in Glennallen

January 29, 2016 by Amanda Johnson

Jeff Streit, a supervisor at the Glennallen Response Base, on a brisk winter morning tour of the facility. Photo courtesy of Alyeska.

The Glennallen Response Base is located in Alaska’s Interior, a little over 100 miles north of Valdez. Originally designated as Pump Station 11, the facility was constructed as a response and maintenance base after it was decided that another pump station wasn’t necessary. Now, a small Alyeska team, supported by a focused and energetic Ahtna baseline crew, coordinates and carries out maintenance and prevention activities along the pipeline right of way, while maintaining a constant state of oil spill response readiness. Their accountable area stretches from south of Paxson all the way to the gate of the Valdez Marine Terminal.