The council’s board of directors met at the Embassy Suites in Anchorage on January 17 and 18.
Significant agenda items and actions by the board included:
• A presentation on a manufacturing flaw that led to a small leak on one of the crude oil loading arms on Berth 4 at Alyeska’s Valdez tanker terminal. Because all four loading arms on the Berth suffer from the same defect, Berth 4 has been shut down until the extent of damage can be verified and repairs can be made. Because the repairs are difficult during the winter, it appears that some loading arms on the berth will remain out of service for an extended period of time, requiring the terminal to operate with reduced loading capability.
• A report on a long-running series of problems that have prevented Alyeska from completing repairs to the liners for the secondary containment system—diked holding ponds, essentially—around some of the crude oil storage tanks at its Valdez tanker terminal. Alyeska received a notice of violation from the state on the problems in 2008 but, despite a series of repair completion efforts and deadline extensions from the state, the company has yet to resolve the problems with the liners. It is presently in discussions with the state regarding an extension of the deadline to sometime this year.
Read more about the council’s concerns about extensions of the tank inspection intervals at the Valdez Marine Terminal, a coalition for citizen oversight of the pipeline, hear from the Coast Guard about dual escorts, and more.