News & Announcements

Board meeting and public events in Valdez, May 2024

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The Council will hold several events in Valdez next week. They will include the Council’s annual Board meeting and a public reception. These events are free and open to the public.

Public reception: Wednesday, May 1

In conjunction with the Board meeting, the Board of Directors for the Alaska Tanker Company, Hilcorp, and the Council will be co-sponsoring a public reception on Wednesday, May 1. The reception will be held outdoors from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kelsey Municipal Plaza, at 412 Ferry Way (MAP) In the event of poor weather, the reception will be moved to the Valdez Civic Center.

Board meeting: Thursday and Friday, May 2-3

Those interested in attending the Board meeting can do so:

Visual presentations given during the meeting can be streamed live through the Zoom link or accessed by download at the link below.

Agenda and meeting documents

The meeting agenda is subject to change before or during the meeting. 

Tentative schedule

  • Thursday: 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
  • Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The meeting is open to the public, except for executive sessions. Public comments are scheduled to be taken on Thursday starting at 8:40 a.m. Those wishing to speak during public comments are highly encouraged to sign up ahead of time by emailing Jennifer Fleming.

Agenda highlights

The Council will be conducting regular business during the meeting, including seating of established directors and committee members, election of new board officers, and updates from Council ex officio members, staff, and committees. Other topics included on the agenda are:

  • An activity report by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on the Valdez Marine Terminal and Ship Escort Response Vessel System operations, including an update on Alyeska’s efforts to address concerns identified in the Council’s report “Assessment of Risks and Safety Culture at Alyeska’s Valdez Marine Terminal.”
  • A presentation on the Pikka Project as it relates to the Valdez Marine Terminal by representatives of Santos.
  • An update from Council staff on work being done by the Alaska Regional Response Team’s Regional Stakeholder Committee Task Force.
  • Consideration of a resolution requesting a voluntary vessel speed reduction by the Trans Alaska Pipeline System tankers submitted by Oasis Earth.
  • A summary of the Council’s monitoring of drills and exercises in 2023.
  • An update on community outreach activities done by the Council over the past year.
  • A report from the Council’s legislative monitors and staff on political developments and prospects coming out of Washington, D.C. and Juneau.

Anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, flu, or cold should attend virtually.

Council Board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.

Media release: Prince William Sound RCAC board meeting and reception in Valdez, May 2024

Board of Directors to meet in May 2024

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The Council’s May 2 & 3, 2024 Board of Directors meeting will be held in-person in Valdez, Alaska.

The meeting will also be available virtually and telephonically for those unable to travel. Information to join the meeting will be available here prior to the meeting.

Board meetings are open to the public, and an opportunity for the public to provide comments is provided at the beginning of each meeting.

A final agenda and preliminary meeting materials are available below.

Document TitleView Document
1 00 Final Agenda PWSRCAC Board of Directors Meeting – May 2-3, 2024
1 01 Draft Minutes of the January 25 26, 2024 Board Meeting
1 01 Draft Minutes of the March 27, 2024 Special Board Meeting
2 01 List of Commonly Used Acronyms
2 02 March 27 Budget Status Report
2 03 Board Attendance Record
2 04 Committee Attendance Record
2 05 List of Board Committee Members
2 06 One Page Strategic Plan
2 07 List of Recent Board and Executive Committee Actions
2 08 PWSRCAC Organizational Chart
3 01 Approval of Resolution Designating PWSRCAC Check Signers
3 02 Approval of FY2025 Contingency Plan Contractor Pool
3 03 FY2025 LTEMP Contract Authorization
3 04 Marine Bird Fall and Early Winter Surveys Contract Authorization
3 05 Approval of PWSRCAC Alyeska Contract Compliance Verification Report
3 06 Approval of Anchorage Office Lease Extension
3-07 Approval of FY2024 Budget Modifications
4 01 PWSRCAC Director Appointments
4 02 Report Acceptance 2023 Annual Drill Monitoring Report
4 03 Update on Regional Stakeholder Committee (RSC) Task Force
4 04 Approval of Councils One Page Strategic Plan
4 05 Technical Committee Member Appointments
4 06 Federal and State Government Affairs Update
4 07 Community Outreach Annual Report
4 08 Resolution Requesting a Voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction by Tankers
4 09 Annual Board Committee Appointments
5 01 May 2024 Program and Project Status Report
Complete May 2024 Meeting Packet

 

35 years after Exxon Valdez

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How has oil transportation changed in Prince William Sound?

In this photo, three fishing vessels practice pulling bright orange oil spill boom in proper formation, with a skimmer in the middle of the boom. This configuration creates a channel for collecting and skimming oil.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill taught many lessons about preparedness, including local mariners’ knowledge about the waters in our region is vital to spill response. Today, over 300 vessels and their crews are trained and on contract to Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System, or SERVS, to respond in the event of a spill. The fishing vessel program is a major improvement to the oil spill response system, which was not in place during the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In this photo, the crews of several Homer fishing vessels practice using oil spill boom and skimmers during annual contracted vessel training. Photo by Cathy Hart.

In 1989, the few measures in place were inadequate to prevent the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the available response resources were insufficient to contain and clean it up. Congress found that complacency among the oil industry, and the regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring the operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and vessel traffic in Prince William Sound, was also a contributing factor in the disaster.

In the years following the spill, regulatory agencies, industry, and citizens worked together to make sure the painful memories and hard lessons of the Exxon Valdez were not forgotten. Changes were enacted to reduce the chances of another spill and to prepare for an effective cleanup if another should occur.

Much has improved in the intervening decades, but there are lingering concerns.

See also: Then & Now: 35 Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Laws and regulations

One of the most important results of the oil spill was the enactment of the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990, or OPA 90, which addressed many deficiencies, including liability, compensation, and oversight. It also established permanent, industry-funded citizen oversight groups for Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet.

Both federal and state laws now require more comprehensive prevention measures and planning for larger spills and require more spill response equipment to be immediately available.

An unlikely alliance of regulators, politicians, oil industry executives, and international spill response experts came together after the spill to reimagine oil spill preparedness and response in Prince William Sound. More: How Alaskans redefined oil spill prevention and response

Prevention: The most effective protection

Photo of weather buoy near Valdez Marine Terminal.
Modern technology means weather buoys can stream real-time weather conditions to help make better operational decisions. Photo by Rob Campbell.

No oil spill can ever be completely cleaned up. Preventing an oil spill is the most effective way to protect human health, local communities and economies, and the environment. Since 1989, improvements have drastically reduced the risk of oil spills.

Double hulls

All tankers transporting oil through Prince William Sound are now double hulled. Double hulls, basically two steel skins separated by several feet of space, can reduce or eliminate spills that result from groundings or collisions.

Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System

The Ship Escort Response Vessel System, known as SERVS (SERVS’ website), was developed after the Exxon Valdez spill. SERVS’ mission is to prevent oil spills by helping tankers navigate safely through Prince William Sound and to begin an immediate response if there is a spill.

Improved tanker escorts

A major component of SERVS are the powerful tugs that escort tankers safely through our waters. Two tugs accompany each laden tanker out of Prince William Sound. These tugs can assist should the tanker experience a malfunction and begin immediate spill response if needed. SERVS also keeps trained response crews on duty around the clock and has spill response equipment ready.

Cleaning up a spill: Must be quick and effective

Photo of Prince William Sound escort tug.
In 2018, Alyeska began work with their new spill prevention and response contractor, Edison Chouest Offshore. These services include operation of escort tugs, oil recovery storage barges, and associated personnel. These resources are key oil spill prevention and response assets for Prince William Sound.
To fulfill their contract, Edison Chouest built new purpose-built tugs, such as the Elrington above; and spill response barges, such as the new OSRB-5. These vessels represented a significant improvement for the oil spill prevention and response system. In some cases, new general-purpose tugs replaced conventional tugs that were over 40 years old. Photo by Jeremy Robida.

While prevention measures are the best way to avoid damage from oil spills, even the best system cannot remove all risks. Alyeska’s SERVS has implemented many improvements since 1989, creating the world-class oil spill prevention and response system in place today.

Contingency plans

Contingency plans, extensive documents which contain details on preventing and cleaning up oil spills, are required by state and federal law.

Some changes in the contingency plans since 1989 include:

Spill drills

Before 1989, few oil spill drills were conducted in Prince William Sound. Today, three major exercises take place per year, along with several smaller drills. The drills provide opportunities for response personnel to work with equipment and practice procedures.

1989 vs 2024: Spill response equipment

In 1989, there were only 13 oil-skimming systems in Alyeska’s response inventory; today, 90 are available. Only 5 miles of oil spill boom were available in 1989; today, around 40 miles are on hand. Alyeska had only one 500,000-gallon barge at that time to store recovered oil and the water that comes with; today, storage capacity is now 37 million gallons.

This image is a bar chart graphic that shows the difference in equipment between 1989 and 2024. It compares 13 oil skimmers compared to 90, 5 miles of boom compared to 40, and 500,000 gallons of capacity compared to 37,000,000 today.

Concerns remain

Although there have been many improvements, there are still many areas of concern, meriting the continued attention and sustained efforts from the Council. A few of these include:

Council report on changes:

More about improvements and remaining concerns in the publication “Then & Now: 35 Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill”

Tim Robertson: Real-life experiences improve oil spill response

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Volunteer Spotlight

Photo of Tim Robertson on a small motorized boat on the ocean with a rocky coast in the background.
Tim Robertson is a member of the Council’s Oil Spill Prevention & Response Committee. The committee works to minimize the risk and impacts associated with oil transportation through research, advice, and recommendations for strong and effective spill prevention and response measures, contingency planning, and regulations.

Growing up in western North Carolina, over 3,000 miles away from Alaska, Tim Robertson and his brothers Roy and Andy knew all about the 49th state. His dad was obsessed.

“If there was a TV show or a movie or anything about Alaska, he drug the whole family to see it,” Robertson says. All three brothers ended up moving here.

These days Tim splits his time between Alaska and Hawaii. At first glance, it might seem like the two states are very different, but Tim’s values are present in both.

“I’m a small-boat guy on big water,” he says. “There’s the same connection with the ocean. A lot of mornings I watch the sun rise from the water. It’s a big part of what I am.”

Robertson spent his first few years in Alaska working in an oil-related field, first as a research biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, then for an oil field service company.

He dreamt of a different career though. Robertson acquired land in Seldovia in 1985, and partnered with another family to build Harmony Point Wilderness Lodge, an ecotourism business. They had only been in business a few short years when the Exxon Valdez ran aground.

“The first time I ever heard of ICS [Incident Command System] was when we had a community meeting after the spill,” says Robertson.

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