The Observer Newsletter

The latest news about the safe transportation of oil in Prince William Sound

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The Council’s publication, The Observer, is a free newsletter distributed throughout Prince William Sound, the northern Gulf of Alaska, lower Cook Inlet, and the Kodiak archipelago, as well as by request to interested citizens around the world, including regulators and industry.

The Observer covers the Council’s activities, developments in the oil transportation industry in Prince William Sound, including news about policies, regulations, operations at the Valdez Marine Terminal, oil spill prevention and response, effects of the oil industry on the environment, and other issues related to the safe transportation or oil through Prince William Sound. Major oil spill drills are covered, and Alyeska is invited to submit a column for each issue.

The latest articles from the Observer newsletter:

July 7, 2025

Two years later: Has safety at Alyeska improved?

Alyeska’s response yields many improvements although concerns remain A 2023 Council report identified some serious safety risks at Alyeska’s Valdez ...

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July 7, 2025

GAO report looks at Joint Pipeline Office

A new report from the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, examines the current status of the Joint Pipeline Office, or ...

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June 30, 2025

Volunteer Spotlight: Where physics meets the sea

W. Scott Pegau wasn’t born in Alaska, but it’s the place that feels like home. When Pegau was a kid, ...

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March 20, 2025

Council’s archives hold valuable lessons

Since its inception, the Council has placed a high value on keeping a historical record of documents related to the ...

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March 20, 2025

Approval for oil spill contingency plan for terminal comes with conditions

This past November, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, or ADEC, approved the renewal of the oil spill contingency plan ...

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March 20, 2025

Matt Melton: Preparing for the unexpected

Volunteer Spotlight Matt Melton, like many others born and raised in Alaska, received an early education in oil spills. He ...

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More articles

Questions or comments about The Observer newsletter? We’d like to hear from you! Please email or call: Amanda Johnson, Public Communications Project Manager, 907-273-6221.

Observer Archives

If you are looking for an article from a previous edition of The Observer:

1. 1. Individual articles written since 2013 are available in the Observer Article Archive.
   2. Articles 2012 and older are available via the PDF archives below.