The Council’s latest annual report, Year in Review: 2020-2021, is now available!
The annual report covers the many programs and projects we’ve been working on over the past year, such as oil spill prevention and response, environmental monitoring, oil spill contingency plans, operations at the Valdez Marine Terminal, invasive species monitoring, our outreach efforts, and much more.
This report covers the Council’s activities from July 2020 to June 2021.
Download the report:
Update: Deadline has passed.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) is proposing changes to regulations that protect Prince William Sound. The comment period began on November 1, 2021 and will end January 31, 2022.
Public input on these changes will be critical. The Council is reviewing the changes and will be sharing information on this public comment period and future changes. Please contact staff member Linda Swiss to be added to the email list.
More information: Public input needed to safeguard Prince William Sound
The Council held virtual board meeting on Thursday and Friday, September 16-17, 2021.
Final agenda and meeting materials
The Council conducted regular business during the meeting, including updates from the Council’s ex-officio members, staff, and committees. Other topics on the agenda were:
Board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.
Prince William Sound RCAC board meeting will be virtual, September 16-17 (PDF)
According to law, whoever spills oil must clean it up. While sounding simple, it can be quite complicated.
First, you must figure out who is responsible, what they are responsible for, and whether Alaska or Federal law applies.
Anyone who moves or stores crude oil in Alaska must have an approved spill contingency plan. These plans describe in detail how they plan to:
The person or entity who creates the plan, referred to as the “plan holder,” is legally responsible for putting the plan into action. The plan holder must ensure a certain amount of clean up equipment and trained personnel are always nearby and ready to respond.
If oil is spilled from either the Valdez Marine Terminal, or any tanker shipping oil from the terminal, Alyeska’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System, or SERVS, responds immediately.
The terminal is jointly owned by three companies: Hilcorp/Harvest Alaska, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil. These companies jointly fund Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, who operates the pipeline and terminal, and SERVS. SERVS manages the cleanup of any spills from the terminal on behalf of the owners.
Spill from a tankerIf a tanker spills oil or fuel in Prince William Sound, SERVS manages the spill for the first three days. This allows time for the tanker’s owner company to get their incident management team on the scene.
At the end of the first three days, cleanup becomes the responsibility of the contingency plan holder. SERVS remains available to support the cleanup.
The responsibility to clean up a spill is separate from financial liability. The liable party must pay for:
Federal law places this liability on the owner or operator of the facility or vessel. Alaska’s law is similar; however, the state also holds the oil’s owner liable. These liabilities can vary and may be decided by a court or settlement agreement.
Alaska law and Federal law differ slightly.
Alaska law does not limit the amount a liable party might have to pay for cleanup and damages. However, there is a limit on the amount they must plan to pay. That amount depends on how much oil they can move at once.
This ability to pay can be proven in several ways. Insurance is the most common.
Federal law places limits on the amount the liable party might have to pay. This limit is based on the size of the tanker. However, the limit does not apply if the incident is caused by gross negligence, willful misconduct, or violation of federal regulations.
If the worst happens and the spiller can’t or doesn’t take care of their responsibilities, there is help available.
At their May 2021 meeting, the Council’s Board of Directors heard a detailed explanation about liabilities for a spill. Watch the presentation from attorney Breck Tostevin on the Council’s YouTube channel: