Spill response capabilities in remote Western Alaska

Abstract

The Alaska Petroleum Distributors and Transporters (APD&T) group formulated a proposal to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) for a realistic and reasonable marine response capability throughout Alaska's waters. USCG requested the proposal in an effort to reach a mutually satisfactory alternate compliance solution to the planning standards enacted as part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). A final agreement for oil spill prevention and discharge planning compliance was reached in June 1999, initiating a 5-year preparedness development implementation program. Economically and operationally realistic planning standards are at issue in coastal Alaska, where more than 30,000 miles of coastline have practically no road access. The APD&T proposal first assessed the exposure or perceived risk of oil transport operations in each of the nine coastal ADEC planning regions (subareas) in Alaska by studying the oil volumes transported along specific routes, frequency and locations of oil transfers, and environmental conditions. The assessed risk and level of response capability were then used as a basis by oversight agencies to identify the areas in which additional resources and logistical infrastructure were required. The key components of the Agreement for Final Compliance in Alaska, are as follows: oil barge operators will maintain a strict tow-wire maintenance program and utilize only twin-screw tugs; spill response equipment for response to average and maximum most probable discharges will be maintained onboard each barge; emergency lightering pumps, independent of oil offloading pumps, will prelocated to ensure their availability within 24 hours; a minimum shoreside response capacity, including boom, sweeps, vessels, personnel, and wildlife and beach kits, will be emplaced in each subarea to supplement the onboard equipment; a logistical infrastructure will be developed at a hub within each of seven subareas to support the planned response capabilities; and a training and exercise program, following National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP guidelines, will be conducted in each subarea to ensure in-region readiness by personnel and equipment. This poster presentation discusses the risk study, strategies, and committed approach to implement a response capability throughout Western Alaska.