By ROY ROBERTSON
Drill Monitor
Two large oil spill drills were conducted in Prince William Sound this past September and October. Both exercises proved challenging for the organizations participating in them.
SeaRiver Maritime held a three-day exercise in the middle of September. For this annual drill, the role of the “spiller” alternates among the shipping companies that move oil through Prince William Sound.
One of the most radical innovations to come out of the Exxon Valdez spill was the establishment of permanent, industry-funded citizen oversight to promote the environmentally safe operation of the oil industry. It’s been 25 years since the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council was formed, and to mark that anniversary, The Observer begins a four-part series documenting the founding and early development of the council.
On a recent morning, the tug Stalwart pulled away from the SERVS dock, headed out to meet the tanker Alaska Legend as it entered Port Valdez. A dense fog hung over the port and every few minutes, fog horns called out in the distance.
Looking out at the pea-soup, Captain David Sweeney remarked that he’d take his time crossing the bay.
“We’re not in a rush, and it’s a good idea to slow down in the fog.”
During his summer vacations from college, council volunteer John LeClair got his start in the field that he would come to love. He went to Idaho each summer to work for the Forest Service as a lookout, which evolved into a full time job as a “smokejumper,” or a firefighter who parachutes in to fight forest fires.