The Council held its annual board meeting in Valdez, Alaska, on May 2-3, 2024. Among other business, the Board convened to elect officers who will serve from May 2024 to May 2025.
The elected executive committee is comprised of:
President: Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer
Vice President: Amanda Bauer, representing the City of Valdez
Treasurer: Mako Haggerty, representing the Kenai Peninsula Borough
Secretary: Bob Shavelson, representing the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition
Three Members-at-Large:
Ben Cutrell, representing Chugach Alaska Corporation
David Janka, representing City of Cordova
Angela Totemoff, representing the Community of Tatitlek
“Of all the advances made in the safe transportation of oil since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, perhaps the most innovative and significant was the establishment of permanent, industry-funded citizen oversight for both Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound,” Robert Archibald said. “Everyone involved should be proud of what has been accomplished since the spill, but we also should never become so satisfied with the current services or processes that we become complacent. Constant vigilance is needed to prevent a return to the pre-1989 complacency that allowed this disaster to happen. I am honored to lead our board for another year as we work toward our shared goal of protecting our communities, economies and environment.”
The Council is grateful to have the support of its many volunteers from all over the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. The new executive committee is an excellent representation of the Council.
The Council conducted regular business during the meeting, including seating of established directors and committee members, election of new board officers, and updates from Council ex officio members, staff, and committees. Other topics included on the agenda are:
An activity report by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on the Valdez Marine Terminal and Ship Escort Response Vessel System operations, including an update on Alyeska’s efforts to address concerns identified in the Council’s report “Assessment of Risks and Safety Culture at Alyeska’s Valdez Marine Terminal.”
A presentation on the Pikka Project as it relates to the Valdez Marine Terminal by representatives of Santos.
An update from Council staff on work being done by the Alaska Regional Response Team’s Regional Stakeholder Committee Task Force.
Consideration of a resolution requesting a voluntary vessel speed reduction by the Trans Alaska Pipeline System tankers submitted by Oasis Earth.
A summary of the Council’s monitoring of drills and exercises in 2023.
An update on community outreach activities done by the Council over the past year.
A report from the Council’s legislative monitors and staff on political developments and prospects coming out of Washington, D.C. and Juneau.
Council Board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.
Area recreation enthusiasts now have permanent, dedicated representation on the Council’s Board of Directors.
Jim Herbert
The newly-formed Oil Spill Region Recreational Coalition was added to the Council’s roster of member entities at the January meeting. Jim Herbert was chosen by the coalition as its representative.
Herbert had been serving as a temporary recreation representative for the past year while the while the council solicited interest from recreational organizations to potentially fill the seat. Herbert previously represented the City of Seward from 2013 to 2015. He is also the current chair of the Council’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Committee.
The new coalition’s mission is to assist the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council in promoting environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal and associated tankers in a manner that will protect the natural recreational resources of Prince William Sound and other areas affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The three founding members of the coalition are the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation, the Valdez Adventure Alliance, and the Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park. The group welcomes other organizations who promote recreation in the Exxon Valdez oil spill region.
The Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping Prince William Sound healthy, clean and wild, for all to enjoy. Visit them online at: www.princewilliamsound.org
The Valdez Adventure Alliance seeks to improve quality of life through equitable access to outdoor recreation resources, education, and events. Visit them online at: www.valdezadventurealliance.com
The Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park promotes the enhancement, preservation and protection of the natural recreational, scientific and historical resources of Kachemak Bay State Park. Visit them online at: www.friendsofkachemakbay.org
This article has been edited to correct the mission of the coalition.
In 1989, the few measures in place were inadequate to prevent the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the available response resources were insufficient to contain and clean it up. Congress found that complacency among the oil industry, and the regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring the operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and vessel traffic in Prince William Sound, was also a contributing factor in the disaster.
In the years following the spill, regulatory agencies, industry, and citizens worked together to make sure the painful memories and hard lessons of the Exxon Valdez were not forgotten. Changes were enacted to reduce the chances of another spill and to prepare for an effective cleanup if another should occur.
Much has improved in the intervening decades, but there are lingering concerns.
Both federal and state laws now require more comprehensive prevention measures and planning for larger spills and require more spill response equipment to be immediately available.
An unlikely alliance of regulators, politicians, oil industry executives, and international spill response experts came together after the spill to reimagine oil spill preparedness and response in Prince William Sound. More: How Alaskans redefined oil spill prevention and response
Prevention: The most effective protection
Modern technology means weather buoys can stream real-time weather conditions to help make better operational decisions. Photo by Rob Campbell.
No oil spill can ever be completely cleaned up. Preventing an oil spill is the most effective way to protect human health, local communities and economies, and the environment. Since 1989, improvements have drastically reduced the risk of oil spills.
Double hulls
All tankers transporting oil through Prince William Sound are now double hulled. Double hulls, basically two steel skins separated by several feet of space, can reduce or eliminate spills that result from groundings or collisions.
Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System
The Ship Escort Response Vessel System, known as SERVS (SERVS’ website), was developed after the Exxon Valdez spill. SERVS’ mission is to prevent oil spills by helping tankers navigate safely through Prince William Sound and to begin an immediate response if there is a spill.
Improved tanker escorts
A major component of SERVS are the powerful tugs that escort tankers safely through our waters. Two tugs accompany each laden tanker out of Prince William Sound. These tugs can assist should the tanker experience a malfunction and begin immediate spill response if needed. SERVS also keeps trained response crews on duty around the clock and has spill response equipment ready.
Cleaning up a spill: Must be quick and effective
In 2018, Alyeska began work with their new spill prevention and response contractor, Edison Chouest Offshore. These services include operation of escort tugs, oil recovery storage barges, and associated personnel. These resources are key oil spill prevention and response assets for Prince William Sound. To fulfill their contract, Edison Chouest built new purpose-built tugs, such as the Elrington above; and spill response barges, such as the new OSRB-5. These vessels represented a significant improvement for the oil spill prevention and response system. In some cases, new general-purpose tugs replaced conventional tugs that were over 40 years old. Photo by Jeremy Robida.
While prevention measures are the best way to avoid damage from oil spills, even the best system cannot remove all risks. Alyeska’s SERVS has implemented many improvements since 1989, creating the world-class oil spill prevention and response system in place today.
In 1989, there were only 13 oil-skimming systems in Alyeska’s response inventory; today, 90 are available. Only 5 miles of oil spill boom were available in 1989; today, around 40 miles are on hand. Alyeska had only one 500,000-gallon barge at that time to store recovered oil and the water that comes with; today, storage capacity is now 37 million gallons.
Concerns remain
Although there have been many improvements, there are still many areas of concern, meriting the continued attention and sustained efforts from the Council. A few of these include:
Risks and safety culture at the terminal: In 2023, the Council released an assessment of risks and safety culture at the Valdez Marine Terminal, concluding that there is currently an unacceptable safety risk present, although Alyeska has been working to address the concerns outlined in the report.
Aging infrastructure: The terminal is over 40 years old and still moving large volumes of crude oil. Constant vigilance of this aging infrastructure is needed to ensure that the necessary inspection and maintenance is performed to assure continued safe operations. A recent example the Council has been focusing on is the potential degradation and/or damage to the secondary containment liner system at the terminal.
The Council held its annual board meeting in Valdez, Alaska, on May 2-3, 2024. Among other business, the Board convened to elect officers who will serve from May 2024 to May 2025.
