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:

March 14, 2025

Community Corner: Watch parties expand reach of annual science event

Each year in early December, the Council hosts our annual Science Night. We invite experts to share about their scientific ...

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March 14, 2025

Traces of metals found in Prince William Sound’s sediments

Further study needed to determine source and potential effects A new Council study has confirmed that sediments in Port Valdez ...

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March 7, 2025

Alyeska: New firefighting systems to reduce use of PFAS

Last fall, Alyeska and contractor crews completed upgrades to the fixed firefighting foam proportioning system on Berth 5 at the ...

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February 28, 2025

Council recertified by Coast Guard

The Coast Guard has recertified the Council as meeting its responsibilities under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. In a ...

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November 22, 2024

From Alyeska: Believe in Zero: Safety mindset helps prevent incidents

By Brandon Kilian, SERVS Response Coordinator At Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System, or SERVS, we believe in zero injuries ...

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November 22, 2024

Cathy Hart: Photographer focuses on fostering environmental stewardship

Long-time Alaskan, and Council volunteer for over 16 years, Cathy Hart has always had a lot of different irons in ...

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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.