Two board members resigned in recent months, passing the torch of stakeholder representation to new board members. Jane Eisemann resigned as the representative of the City of Kodiak and Diane Selanoff resigned as the representative of the Port Graham Corporation.
The Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association closed at the end of December. The association represented the interests of the recreation and tourism industry on the board for over 20 years.
Oil storage tanks have a “secondary containment” system surrounding them that would help keep oil out of the environment if a spill from the tanks should occur. The containment system has a liner that would prevent oil from seeping through to the ground. The council recommends routine inspections to make sure the liner remains intact.
The oil spill contingency plan for the Valdez Marine Terminal is undergoing an update, and the council recently had an opportunity to comment on the changes.
The plan, known officially as the Valdez Marine Terminal Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan, contains detailed information about how an oil spill at the terminal can be contained and cleaned up, and ways to prevent an oil spill in the first place.
By law, these plans are required to be reviewed and updated every five years, and these changes are a part of that regular cycle.
On the way out the door on her last day before she retired from 23 years on the council’s staff, Linda Robinson turned in her application to volunteer on the Information and Education Committee, the group she helped re-form in 2008. Today’s committee has roots in an “education committee” which existed in the early days of the council, but was later dissolved.
“Over the 23 years I worked for the council, I’ve watched volunteers dedicating a lot of time and passion to the mission of the council and I feel like it’s my turn to do that too.”