News & Announcements

Community Corner: A tour of the crown jewel of local oil spill response

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By Lisa Matlock
Outreach Coordinator

Lisa Matlock, center, poses with the Seward High School students and teachers in the bow of the Glacier Explorer.
Lisa Matlock, center, poses with the Seward High School students and teachers in the bow of the Glacier Explorer. Scroll down for more photos.

I was a Homer resident for five years. Each spring I watched a fleet of fishing boats carrying noisy, funny-looking machines and pulling long orange and yellow lines around in circles near the Spit. I can remember asking, “What are they doing out there?” The answer was always, “Oh, that’s just SERVS training.” I never learned more than that until my first year with the council when I had the opportunity to observe that training personally.

For two days, I participated in classroom training with a group of fishermen and other mariners about spill safety, oil spill tactics, wildlife protection, and Geographic Response Strategies for sensitive areas. I learned about different types of hydraulic power packs, skimmers, and oil containment boom.

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New plan for using dispersants in Alaska is in effect

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The Alaska Regional Response Team, or ARRT, established a new plan earlier this year for how oil spill dispersants, an alternative oil spill response option, would be used during an oil spill. The ARRT is a group of federal and state agencies that share responsibilities for managing oil and chemical spill responses in Alaska.

Mechanical response, such as booms and skimmers that actually remove oil from the water, is the priority response option by state and federal law.

The new plan was effective January 27, 2016, although parts of the plan will not go into effect until 2018.

Details of new plan

The new plan describes two different processes for dispersant use. Dispersants will be “preauthorized” in certain areas, and all other areas are “undesignated.”

A new “preauthorization area” will go into effect in 2018. This area extends from 24 nautical miles offshore out to 200 nautical miles offshore (approximately 27.6 to 230 miles), south of Alaska’s mainland through the Aleutian chain. The ARRT’s rationale is that preauthorizing, or deciding before an oil spill occurs where chemical dispersants are allowed, could speed up response time. In the preauthorized area, dispersants are considered to be approved by government agencies before an oil spill happens. Therefore, the U.S. Coast Guard, as federal on scene coordinator, can decide to apply dispersants to a crude oil spill. Areas farther than 200 nautical miles from shore are international waters, and are not part of this plan.

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Council questions proposed changes to ADEC response exercise program

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By Susan Sommer

Drills and exercises are a vital part of making sure that companies transporting oil through Prince William Sound are meeting state laws and are capable of performing an effective spill response.

In early February, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Spill Prevention and Response, known as SPAR, published a draft white paper titled “Response Exercise Program Improvements.” Although the document pertains to the entire state, the council contends that some of the proposed changes might inadvertently reduce vigilance and preparation among plan holders and responders in Prince William Sound.

The council, in collaboration with the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council, provided feedback during the public review stage and encouraged the agency to consider the process used in Prince William Sound as a model for the rest of the state. It also noted that some aspects of the draft document need further study to determine long-range implications.

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Schantz appointed as head of council

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Schantz (fourth from left), board members, staff, and legislative monitors who met with Juneau policy makers in March, were invited to lunch with former board member, now governor of Alaska, Bill Walker. Photo courtesy of the office of Governor Bill Walker.

Donna Schantz, long-time staff member, has been named as the council’s new executive director. Schantz had been serving as the acting executive director since the retirement of Mark Swanson, in November of last year.

“The council is very fortunate to have someone with Donna’s organizational knowledge and history to lead us into the future” said Amanda Bauer, president of the council’s board of directors. “I am confident her commitment to our mission and her demeanor will significantly strengthen relationships within the council, as well as with our industry and regulatory partners, as these positive relationships are a critical component to achieving our mission.”

Schantz joined the council staff in 1999 and served as director of programs since 2001. She is a graduate of Providence College in Rhode Island. Schantz previously served as acting executive director in 2009 after the retirement of John Devens.

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