Board of Directors News

Council’s Board of Directors to meet in Anchorage

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The Council will hold a Board meeting in Anchorage on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 23-24, 2020. The meeting will be located in the Imagine Ballroom of the Embassy Suites, at 600 E. Benson Blvd.

The tentative schedule for the Thursday Board meeting session is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Friday, the meeting is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The meeting is open to the public, except for executive sessions. Public comments are tentatively scheduled to be taken Thursday starting at 8:55 a.m.

January 2020 Meeting Agenda and Documents

The Council will be conducting regular business during the meeting, including updates from council ex-officio members, staff and committees. Other topics on the agenda include:

  • An activity report by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on Valdez Marine Terminal and Ship Escort/Response Vessel System operations.
  • Comments from Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response Director Denise Koch on the current status of the division’s budget for FY2021.
  • An overview by Council staff on recommendations from the Legislative Affairs Committee for a Council position on ensuring the sustainability of the State Oil and Hazardous Substances Release Prevention and Response Fund.
  • An update by Council staff on efforts in response to a public scoping notice issued in October 2019 by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to solicit comments and input on Alaska oil spill regulations (18 AAC 75, Article 4) and Alaska State Statute 46.04, specifically where the discharge prevention and contingency plan requirements can be eliminated or streamlined.
  • A briefing from Council staff on the status of the state review of the sale of BP Pipeline’s assets to Hilcorp/Harvest Alaska, LLC.
  • An update on U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M Certificate of Inspection Regulation.
  • A report on the results of Port Valdez mussel transcriptomics monitoring in 2019, conducted in order to understand the potential environmental impacts of the Valdez Marine Terminal. The analysis concentrated on mussel genes associated with crude oil pollution as well as other environmental stressors.
  • A report on Prince William Sound forage fish surveys conducted in 2019. These surveys were conducted from an airplane along the entire coastline of Prince William Sound and were focused on identifying juvenile forage fish (e.g., herring, sandlance, capelin).
  • A summary by Council staff of incidents (e.g., oil spills, fires, malfunctions causing shutdowns, navigational closures, tanker/escort incidents) for the terminal or tankers that have occurred in 2019.
  • Introduction and update by the Council’s new state legislative affairs monitor, Kate Troll.

The meeting agenda provided is subject to change before or during the meeting. Council board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.

Meet the Board of Directors

News release: Prince William Sound RCAC board to meet in Anchorage

Recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

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Resolution 19-01:

Recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, supporting high standards and safeguards for the Valdez Marine Terminal and associated tankers, and continued work to create the best response system possible should prevention measures fail

Floating oil spill boom from Exxon Valdez oil spill
Tangled boom from the 1989 cleanup. Photo by Charles Ehler, courtesy of Alaska Resource Library & Information Services.

Whereas, on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil and oiling some 1,300 miles of Alaska coastline;

Whereas, March 24, 2019, marks 30 years since this disaster;

Whereas, Congress determined that complacency on the part of industry and government was a contributing factor in the accident and mandated citizen involvement in the oversight of crude oil terminals and tankers;

Whereas, the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, an independent non-profit corporation whose mission, as mandated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, is to promote environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and associated tankers;

Whereas, the Council represents communities, commercial fishing, aquaculture, Alaska Native, recreation, tourism, and environmental organizations in the region adversely impacted by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill;

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