News

Now hiring: Project Management Assistant

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The Council is seeking skilled and experienced applicants for the Project Management Assistant (PMA) position in Anchorage!

This position is located in Anchorage, AK.

We are looking for a highly organized and detail-oriented professional with expertise in project coordination, documentation, and administrative support. This role will assist project managers in coordinating project tasks, tracking milestones, maintaining project documentation, and providing general office coordination and administrative support. The position will contribute to our mission of promoting the environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and associated tankers.

The PMA responsibilities include:

  • Assisting project managers in coordinating and tracking project tasks, timelines, and milestones.
  • Scheduling, organizing, and facilitating project team meetings, including the preparation and distribution of meeting materials and meeting minutes.
  • Monitoring project progress to ensure deadlines are met and tasks are completed on schedule.
  • Maintaining project documentation, including contracts, proposals, reports, and meeting notes.
  • Communicating with project teams, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure clear and effective collaboration.
  • Assisting in budget tracking to help project managers ensure resources are allocated appropriately and expenses are monitored.
  • Providing general administrative support, including travel arrangements, office coordination, and logistical support for project-related events.
  • Organizing and digitizing project documentation, ensuring proper archiving and accessibility.
  • Supporting the development and updating of project contingency plans and related documentation.

Qualifications:

An associate degree or a minimum of two years of completed undergraduate coursework in business administration, project management, or a related field. A minimum of two years of experience in project coordination or administrative support roles, or lesser experience if an approved training and education program is in place.

This is a non-exempt position with a starting base hourly wage of $33.80/hr. After 60 days of successful employment, an additional 25% of base pay is added for optional benefits, bringing total compensation to $42.25/hr.

A complete job description can be found at: Project Manager Assistant (PDF).

Questions? Email info@pwsrcac.org

About the Council

The Council was formed in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill with the mission of promoting the environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and the associated tankers. The Council has an annual operating budget around $4.2M with a total staff of 18 and over 50 volunteers.

More about the Council.

To apply

Applications will only be considered when emailed to hans.odegard@pwsrcac.org. Please include:

  1. Current resume.
  2. Cover letter describing why your education, work experience, and career goals are a good match for this position and why you want to work for the PWSRCAC.
  3. List of at least three professional references with contact information.

Finalists may be subject to criminal and credit background checks, and verification of education and past employment.

Open until filled – first review of PMA applicants: September 22, 2025.

 

Now hiring: Terminal Operations Project Manager

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This position is located in Valdez, Alaska.

The Council is seeking a skilled and motivated professional to serve as our Terminal Operations Program Manager in Valdez!

We are looking for a highly motivated and detail-oriented professional with expertise in terminal systems, regulatory engagement, and technical project management. This position leads the Council’s work related to the safe, transparent, and environmentally sound operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal. The role supports the Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring (TOEM) Committee and works closely with staff, industry representatives, regulators, and local stakeholders.

The Terminal Operations Program Manager responsibilities include:

  • Managing technical projects, contracts, and consultants related to Valdez Marine Terminal systems such as mechanical integrity, storage tanks, vapor controls, and spill prevention.
  • Coordinating the development and execution of the TOEM Committee’s annual work plan, and supporting the committee in meeting its strategic goals.
  • Reviewing proposed operational or regulatory changes and preparing technical analyses, summaries, and responses.
  • Preparing clear and effective written materials including reports, presentations, committee packets, and public communications.
  • Facilitating TOEM Committee meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation, and follow-up documentation.
  • Collaborating with industry, regulatory agencies, and local partners to gather input and share Council perspectives.
  • Tracking project budgets, processing invoices, and ensuring compliance with procurement and contract policies.
  • Representing the Council at relevant meetings, drills, conferences, and trainings.
  • Monitoring developments at the terminal and recommending actions or areas of focus for the Council.

Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree or higher in engineering, marine transportation, environmental science, or a related field. At least three years of relevant professional experience in oil and gas, maritime operations, terminal systems, environmental monitoring, or regulatory compliance. Strong written and verbal communication skills, project management experience, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively are essential.

This is a full-time, exempt position with a starting annual salary of $113,400+ DOE. An additional 10% of base salary is provided for Valdez cost of living adjustment. After 60 days of successful employment, an additional 25% of base salary is added for optional benefits, bringing total compensation to $153,090.

A complete job description can be found at: Terminal Operations Program Manager (PDF).

 Questions? Email info@pwsrcac.org

About the Council

The Council was formed in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill with the mission of promoting the environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and the associated tankers. The Council has an annual operating budget around $4.2M with a total staff of 18 and over 50 volunteers.

More about the Council

To apply

Applications will only be considered when emailed to hans.odegard@pwsrcac.org. Please include:

  1. Current resume
  2. Cover letter describing why your education, work experience, and career goals are a good match for this position and why you want to work for the PWSRCAC
  3. List of at least three professional references with contact information

Finalists may be subject to criminal and credit background checks, and verification of education and past employment.

Open until filled – first review of Terminal Operations applicants: September 22, 2025.

Responders perform well overall in drills in 2024

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Two fishing vessels pull boom behind them. Each boat is attached to one end of the boom so that when they move forward, the boom forms a curve. In this first image, the boats are parallel with each other so that the boom is in the shape of the letter U.

Many of the drills and exercises conducted by the industry last year went well, according to the latest drill summary released by the Council. During the 14 drills and exercises observed in 2024, responders were generally well-practiced and activities went smoothly. The summary report also contains suggestions for future exercises.

Tanker spill exercise

In October, Marathon Petroleum conducted a large exercise, simulating a spill of almost 3 million gallons of crude oil from a tanker into central Prince William Sound.

One goal of the exercise was to test how well responders transitioned command of the response from Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System, or SERVS, to Marathon. Part of SERVS’ role in an oil spill is to initiate and manage the response activities until the company that owns the tanker arrives on the scene.

“The transition from Alyeska to Marathon was very well done,” says Roy Robertson, drill monitor for the Council. “The Marathon team members took the time to shadow SERVS’ team before the transition to learn the system and processes that are unique to our region.”

“Marathon also kept most of SERVS’ team around to provide support which has not always been done in the past,” Robertson added.

Three people surround a metal table in a shiny new facility with modern equipment. One of the three is directing the other two on otter cleaning techniques. The "otter" on the table is a stuffed toy.
A wildlife expert teaches Council staff members Donna Schantz and Joe Lally how to clean crude oil from an otter. A stuffed toy otter is used in these training sessions.

Terminal spill exercises

In 2024, Alyeska conducted several exercises that simulated a spill from the terminal. During one of these, Alyeska set up its new units for treating oiled wildlife such as otters and birds. These units contain state of the art equipment and can be set up quickly in the event of a spill.

Polar Tankers conducted emergency towing exercises

Polar Tankers led the pack in tanker towing exercises. The industry is required to perform one each quarter, although a total of five were conducted in 2024. The Council observed two of the five. Polar Tankers volunteered to conduct three.

“These exercises do add time to the tanker’s trip,” says Robertson. “But they provide valuable training for the crews.”

The report recommends rotating the exercises between the various shipping companies.

Protecting sensitive areas

Several exercises focused on tactics to keep oil away from shorelines or other areas that are particularly susceptible to damage from oil contamination.

This type of exercise is often held during the annual spill response training for fishing vessel crews. The small vessels that participate in these trainings would mostly be used in this capacity in a real incident.

Some areas to improve

The report included suggestions for improving future exercises, including:

  • More deployments of the new oil spill response barge, the Allison Creek, which replaced an older barge of the same name last year. The new barge is an improvement, but does have more equipment on its deck.
  • Practice response operations during reduced visibility. More than 5 years have elapsed since the last exercise was conducted in low visibility. The escort tugs have special equipment on board that improves responders’ ability to spot oil in these conditions.

2024 Annual Drill Report

More details and additional recommendations are available in the full report: 2024 Annual Drill Monitoring Report 

Study estimates emissions from 2022 incident

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A new Council report contains an estimate of crude oil vapors emitted during an incident at the Valdez Marine Terminal in 2022.

Damage from snow and ice during winter 2021-2022

Over the winter of 2021 to 2022, excessive snow and ice built up on top of the vast tanks that store crude oil at the terminal, damaging the pressure vacuum vents on many of the tanks. In some cases, the vents were completely sheared off. These vents control the internal tank pressures, preventing dangerous overpressure or vacuum conditions.

The image shows two photos. One is a distance shot of the storage tanks, which demonstrates how vast the tanks are. The second photo is a closeup of the vents, which are metal and stick up off of the top edge of the tanks.
Oil is stored in tanks until it can be loaded onto ships for transport. Each of the storage tanks can store over 21 million gallons of crude oil.
Pressure vacuum vents are located on the outside edge of the roof on each tank. (Larger image)

During normal tank operations, the internal tank pressure can vary. Oil levels inside the tanks increase or decrease, and other factors such as sunlight heating the tanks can affect the internal pressure.

When the tank vapor pressures get too high, the vents can open and release those vapors to the atmosphere. They also prevent too much oxygen from entering the tanks, which could lead to a fire or explosion.

Damage to the vents led to concerns about the release of crude oil vapors into the surrounding atmosphere and other dangers.

Evaluating the impact

In incidents like these, precise emission volumes are difficult to measure. However, estimates can be calculated using key data points. Last year, the Council hired Dr. Ron Sahu, a nationally respected expert in air quality and engineering, to do just that. By gaining a better understanding of the volume of emissions that was released, the Council hoped to better understand the potential effects on the environment of Port Valdez or nearby residents from this incident.

The Council provided Dr. Sahu with documents from Alyeska and data from the State of Alaska, acquired via public records requests. From these documents, he was able to determine key points such as:

  • The number of tank vents that were damaged.
  • The extent of damage to individual vents.
  • The time period between when the damages were discovered until vent repairs were made and when pressure management of the tanks stopped.
  • The amount of oil in each tank.

Dr Sahu also considered ambient conditions such as temperature, among other factors to complete his analysis.

Using special software developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that calculates air pollutant emissions from organic liquid storage tanks, Dr. Sahu conservatively estimated that between 79 to 193 tons of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants were released into the surrounding atmosphere from February through March 2022. Dr. Sahu emphasizes that his estimate is conservative, and that the total is likely higher. Among other factors, he only accounted for losses when the oil levels were not changing in the tanks.

He also provided input on Alyeska’s response to the incident, including areas to improve safety.

Alyeska disagrees with the estimate

Dr. Sahu used the best information that was available to the Council at the time of the report’s release. In preliminary feedback provided by Alyeska, they disagreed with the report’s calculations, noting that they believe the total emissions to be lower. The Council has requested additional information on what Alyeska believes to be inaccurate; however, Alyeska has so far declined to provide any more feedback, limiting the Council’s ability to address their concerns.

Read the report

The full report details Dr. Sahu’s calculations and how he arrived at his conclusions: Report on VOC Emissions from Snow Removal Incident at VMT in 2022

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