fiscal year 2005 november 5, 2004 program & project status ... · 12/2/2004 · program &...

5-1

Fiscal Year 2005

November 5, 2004 Program & Project Status Report

Mission

Citizens’ promoting the environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska terminal and associated tankers.

Vision Our environment is protected for future generations

because PWSRCAC’s performance is such that governments, industries, and the public solicit, value and utilize citizen input at all levels

and stages of oil transportation decisions.

Core Values • The foundation of PWSRCAC is volunteerism • Providing an effective voice for citizens • Integrity through truth and objectivity • Promote vigilance and combat complacency

Goals for Fiscal Year 2005 • Continue to improve environmental safety of oil transportation in our

region. • Excellent external and internal communication • Organizational excellence • Meet the requirements of compliance with OPA 90 & Alyeska contract

5-1

November 5, 2004 Program & Project Status Report 210.103.041105.5-1StatusRpt.doc of 19

Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council

Program & Project Status Report November 5, 2004

Administrative, Support, and Communications Projects 140: Recertification (Stan Jones) Objectives: Secure annual Coast Guard recertification of PWSRCAC under OPA-90. November 5 Status: Work has begun on recertification application due January 1, 2005. 230: Oil Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) (Linda Swiss) Chair: Jerry Brookman Board Member: Walter Parker, John French Technical Support Staff: Joe Banta and Tony Parkin November 5 Status: OSPR met in September, October, and November. OSPR was updated on Dave Musgrave’s surface current mapping project and PWS weather stations. The portable weather station was set up in Port Etches. Tim Jones and Tony Parkin discussed the August ConocoPhillips NPREP drill, as well as the September and October drills. The C-Plan project team held a workshop on October 20. Project updates included the response gap/closure limit project, places of refuge, contingency plan review, and PWS telecommunications. OSPR was presented with comments on strategic reconfiguration. OSPR was apprised of concerns about equipment inspections and not receiving advance notices of drills. New projects included in the long-range plan include ShoreZone mapping, permits work group, and participating in Alyeska’s geographic resource database. A coastal coop workshop will be held on January 14. Tony Parkin discussed his sediment coring project, and Lisa Ka’aihue updated OSPR on trips to the Ohmsett test facility in New Jersey and the Bedford Institute in Nova Scotia. The next OSPR meeting will be December 15. 240: Port Operations and Vessel Traffic System (POVTS) (Dan Gilson) Chair: Bill Conley Board Member: Jane Eisemann Technical Support Staff: Rhonda Williams November 5 Status: The POVTS committee last met on October 28. The Coast Guard briefed the committee on the status of the mid-sound buoy. The buoy is currently adrift and efforts are underway for Crowley to recover and tow it to safety to McPherson Passage. The committee was briefed on the status of the outreach efforts for the Places of Refuge project for Prince William Sound. November 15 is the deadline to submit comments on increasing the local knowledge of specific sites or general concerns regarding the issue. Project Manager Tom Kuckertz updated the committee on Alyeska’s Strategic Reconfiguration of the VMT, specifically the status of the Internal Floating Roof tanks and the freshwater Fire Protection system. The next meeting is scheduled for November 18. 250: Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) (Linda Swiss) Chair: Dick Tremaine Board Members: Pete Kompkoff, John French Technical Support Staff: Lisa Ka'aihue November 5 Status: Presentations to SAC were provided by Molly McCammon from the Alaska Ocean Observation System (AOOS), and Joe Banta and Dr. John Harper on ShoreZone mapping of PWS. SAC was updated on several Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT) meetings, as well as dispersants testing facilities at Ohmsett in New Jersey and the Bedford Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bob Benda provided a trip report to the ANS conference held in Ireland in September. SAC was apprised of the rewrite of a book by the Committee for Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects which will be presented at IOSC in May, 2005. The joint LTEMP proposal with Auke Bay Laboratory was approved for funding and included in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee’s FY05 work plan. The fall sampling of LTEMP occurred in mid-October. Tony Parkin discussed his sediment coring project, and work will begin on developing a science plan. SAC approved Andra Love and John Kennish as new committee members whose names will be forwarded to the full Board for approval. The next SAC meeting will be in January.

5-1


260: Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring (TOEM) (Dan Gilson) Chair: Bob Benda Board Members: Stan Stephens Technical Support Staff: Tom Kuckertz November 5 Status: The TOEM committee last met on October 18. Project Manager Tom Kuckertz said PWSRCAC has continued to be a driving force in learning about Alyeska’s Strategic Reconfiguration of the VMT. The PWSRCAC, the City of Valdez, and the USCG comprised six different subgroups that met and developed preliminary comments JPO outlining concerns with Internal Floating Roof (IFR) tanks, a freshwater Fire Protection system, air quality concerns, oil storage capacities, and the Ballast Water Treatment facility. Technical meetings were held with Alyeska experts to discuss the IFR’s and the Fire Protection System. The committee also discussed their long range plan and considered expanding the LTEMP project in Port Valdez. The next TOEM committee meeting has been scheduled for November 22. 270: Legislative Affairs (Stan Jones): Objectives: Monitor legislative and executive actions on issues of concern to PWSRCAC; present PWSRCAC positions as appropriate. November 5 Status: Legislative Affairs Committee has been formed for 2005 session. Members are Walter Parker, Al Burch, Connie Stephens, John Velsko and Blake Johnson, chairman. 310-330: Public Information Program (Stan Jones) Objectives: Inform public about council’s work and issues related to terminal and tanker operations. November 5 Status: • EVOS oral history publication: Alaska Funding Exchange of Juneau has been retained to seek grant funds to complete the budget of this project. Oral historian Sharon Bushell of Homer has been contracted to do preliminary work by compiling a bibliography of existing oral histories relating to the Exxon Valdez spill. Observer: December issue is in preparation for distribution at Anchorage board meeting. Annual report: Report is at printer at this time, with delivery anticipated in next few days. Radio public education campaign: Spots are airing now in Kodiak. On December 1, spots will

begin airing on Kenai and Homer stations. 400: Program and Project Support (Donna Schantz) Objectives: The objective of this component of the PWSRCAC work plan is to provide support, leadership, and coordination for and among PWSRCAC’s programs, the individual projects, and the technical committees. November 5 Status: Project Managers’ met on October 13 to review project status, planning, coordination issues, and to identify areas requiring additional support. Project Managers have also been planning and developing projects for the FY06-10 LRP process. Work has started on scheduling and planning for a joint committee meeting to improve communications and support amongst the committees per the approved LRP and FY05 budget. The new document management system is progressing and is providing value and support to all staff. There are currently 8,975 document logged into this system. Web sites were developed for the technical committees, project teams and working groups to assist in the distribution of materials and information. Feedback from staff, volunteers and industry and regulatory agencies on the new websites has been positive. 440: Federal Governmental Affairs Program (Marilyn Leland) Objectives: Monitor and comment on amendments to OPA90 and other federal issues that affect oil transportation in the PWSRCAC region. November 5 Status: • Birch, Horton & Cherot in Washington, DC is monitoring congressional actions. PWSRCAC staff is monitoring the Federal Register.

5-1


• The National Invasive Species Act was introduced for reauthorization in Congress in the fall of 2002; however, Congress took no action on it before they adjourned at the end of the year. A new bill, which was renamed the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (NAISA), was introduced in March 2003. PWSRCAC staff has worked on input for necessary changes through the Western Regional Panel and the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. The Pacific Ballast Water Group, which is a part of the Western Regional Panel, prepared a letter supporting adequate funding for states to be able to implement their invasive species management plans. The Executive Committee approved signing onto the letter. Staff has reviewed the bill and drafted comments, which have been approved by the Executive Committee to send to the Alaska Delegation. It is not likely that any further action will be taken on NAISA by Congress until next year, but it is expected to be re-introduced very early in the new Congress. 450: Profitability of ANS Production and Transportation (Donna Schantz) Objectives: The objective for this project is to identify and obtain public documents relevant to the assessment of North Slope production, Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (including the VMT) and marine transportation costs. Once gathered, the data will be assembled in a consistent manner and combined to estimate current annual per-barrel profitability from Alaska North Slope (ANS) production and transportation through the Valdez Marine Terminal. A final report will be generated analyzing the data and will include a model that will present current and projected future annual per-barrel profitability figures. The model will provide estimates of aggregate annual industry profits, as well as state and federal revenues. The model will also provide a means for estimating future results, depending on price and changes in the sources of ANS crude oil. November 5 Status: The first progress report is due from the contractor at the end of December 2004, with a second progress report due early February 2005. The final report is due from the contractor in early April 2005. It is expected that the final report will be presented to the Board at the May 2005 Board meeting for approval. 500: Terminal Operations Program (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: This program is intended to monitor actual and potential environmental impacts stemming from the operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal, and to review operational and maintenance practices at the facility in the interest of mitigating those impacts. Specific objectives of the Terminal Operations Program are: (1) to monitor, to develop, and to recommend PWSRCAC positions on VMT operations issues; (2) to support maintenance and improvement of VMT facilities; (3) to promote compliance with existing environmental regulations; and (4) to monitor enforcement of and funding for existing environmental regulations. November 5 Status: Alyeska reports that 24,847,293 barrels of crude oil were loaded at the VMT during October 2004. The VMT throughput rate has declined during both 2002 and 2003 with average daily throughputs of 927,381 and 910,034 barrels per day loaded at the VMT respectively. The throughput for the first ten months of 2004 is 839,534 barrels per day demonstrating that the decline in North Slope production is continuing. The recent steepness of the decline appears to continue with a precipitous drop in August’s throughput and a recovery to the preexisting but still declining trend in September and October. The average throughput for 2004 continues to be well less than 900,000 barrels per day as shown in Figure 1. Staff continues to monitor inventory levels at the VMT. An updated analysis of VMT inventory levels for the period of December 2003 through October 2004 is shown in Figure 2 and in Figure 3. Inventory levels during August were quite low; they appear to increasing during September and October 2004. For the period analyzed, the average inventory level was 27% with a standard deviation of 17%. A frequency (i.e. the number of times that a particular inventory level occurs) analysis of inventory levels, shown in Figure 3, demonstrates that the most probable inventory is approximately 16%. Although Alyeska has installed a new skimmer systems (oleophillic belt type) in the 90s tanks, operational problems with the skimmers are causing Alyeska to continue the use of short-term fixes to manage the excess oil and wax buildups in the tanks 93 and 94. Alyeska has briefed staff and JPO on the status of new projects during the summer of 2004. The briefing process revealed that the reliability centered

5-1


maintenance paradigm developed, as part of the right-of-way renewal process had not been fully implemented as expected by JPO.

VMT Monthly Loading Statistics 2002 -- 2004y = -1.4564E+02x + 6.3949E+06

R2 = 3.4440E-01

600,000

650,000

700,000

750,000

800,000

850,000

900,000

950,000

1,000,000

1,050,000

1,100,000

Jan-

02

Mar-

02

May-

02

Jul-

02

Sep-

02

Nov-

02

Jan-

03

Mar-

03

May-

03

Jul-

03

Sep-

03

Nov-

03

Jan-

04

Mar-

04

May-

04

Jul-

04

Sep-

04

Nov-

04

Date

BB

L/d

ay

Figure 1 – Crude Oil Throughput Rates at VMT

2004 Inventory Levels At VMT

Data Source: SERVS, Compiled by: PWSRCAC

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

12/1/03 1/30/04 3/30/04 5/29/04 7/28/04 9/26/04 11/25/04

Date

% F

ull

5-1


Figure 2 –Inventory Levels at VMT for Recent Ten Months

Frequency of Inventory at Valdez Marine Terminal

Dec 2003 through October 2004

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent Full

Da

ily

Fre

qu

en

cy

Figure 3 – Frequency of Inventory Occurrences for Recent Eight Months

551: NPDES Permit Renewal (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: Oily ballast water from tankers calling at the VMT is treated at the VMT’s Ballast Water Treatment Facility (BWTF). PWSRCAC is providing citizen oversight to the permit renewal process. From many parts per thousand, the oil concentration in the ballast water is reduced to a few parts per million at the point it is discharged into Port Valdez. The specific objectives of the NPDES Permit Renewal Project are: (1) to determine if the allowable discharge limits now imposed by the permit are still appropriate to prevent adverse effects on the marine environment; (2) to review monitoring requirements and determine if they are adequate; (3) to make specific recommendations for the Pollution Prevention Program required by the permit; (4) to prepare comments and recommendations regarding the NPDES permit renewal; (5); to facilitate public and agency review during permit renewal process; and (6) to develop comments on NPDES and Mixing Zone Comments proposed by EPA and ADEC. November 5 Status: Alyeska made application for the renewal of their NPDES permit with EPA and for renewal of its Mixing Zone Permit with ADEC on November 19, 2001. Both permits were scheduled to expire on May 21, 2002; however, expiration was delayed pending federal and state action on applications for renewal of the permits. PWSRCAC staff and contractors analyzed the current NPDES permits. These analyses enabled PWSRCAC to make recommendations to both EPA and ADEC that facilitated the development of renewed permits. Comments on draft permits were approved by XCOM on June 3, 2003 and subsequently submitted to EPA, ADEC, and JPO by the deadline of June 9, 2003. PWSRCAC comments concentrated on the need to perform additional monitoring and toxicity testing. Alyeska provided its comments to PWSRCAC and indicated objections to draft permit requirements for alkylated homologue monitoring and operational practices such as the increased minimum holding times for the gravity separation process. On June 15, 2004 after a hiatus of more than 1 year, EPA and ADEC issued finalized NPDES and mixing zone permits for the BWTF. The final permits adopted some of the monitoring recommendations including monthly monitoring of total recoverable oil and grease (TROG) and some better analytic

5-1


techniques; however, mussel monitoring and monitoring of alkylated homologues that had been included in the draft permits were not included in the final permits. On June 28, 2004, PWSRCAC requested an informal review with ADEC to reconsider its decision to exclude these types of monitoring and submitted extensive technical documentation supporting the request. ADEC informed PWSRCAC on July 12 that no changes in the final permits will be forthcoming as a result of PWSRCAC's informal request for reconsideration. Staff and Joe Levesque of Walker and Levesque explored whether that there was a failure by EPA or ADEC to observe some point of law or regulation in developing the permits that might provide grounds to request an adjudicatory hearing before the Commissioner of ADEC. Although no issues of interest to PWSRCAC were identified, Alyeska requested an adjudicatory hearing with ADEC and EPA claiming that an improved monitoring method specified in the permits was too expensive and not included in development of the draft permits. ADEC and EPA have recently requested comments from PWSRCAC and the public on a draft final permit that allows Alyeska to use any EPA approved analytic method in satisfying the reporting requirements of the NPDES permit. Staff are exploring whether additional comments are warranted. 553: Strategic Reconfiguration of VMT (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: Since its reorganization of 2002, Alyeska has been engaged in a TAPS-wide exercise to reconfigure its management, business, operational practices, and TAPS itself. Alyeska is beginning to release the specifics of its “Strategic Reconfiguration.” Many aspects of the Strategic Reconfiguration remain unknown to both regulators and citizens alike. Documentation describing the criteria under which systems are being changed along with a good many of the changes themselves has not been provided to parties having responsibilities for protection of environmental and regulatory interests. This project seeks generally to open the Strategic Reconfiguration process sufficiently to confirm that stakeholder interests with respect to “citizens promoting environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska terminal and associated tankers” have been adequately addressed. The objectives of this project are to confirm or to ensure (1) that OPA-90 interests and concerns of PWSRCAC are adequately addressed in the Strategic Reconfiguration; (2) that design criteria driving the Strategic Reconfiguration are specifically identified and adequately address the citizen stakeholder concerns; and (3) that appropriate quality assurance standards are in place such that reconfigured facilities are in full compliance. Staff will work with Alyeska, contractors, and Joint Pipeline Office to examine the preliminary engineering associated with Strategic Reconfiguration of the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT). Items to be examined include: relocation of Operation Control Center (OCC) to Anchorage, automation and remote operation of VMT assets, use of alternative electrical supplies such as purchase of commercial power, internal floating roof storage tanks, alternative treatment processes for ballast water, regulatory compliance for effluents and emissions, etc. November 5 Status: Alyeska’s Strategic Reconfiguration involves all of Alyeska business activities and operations. Alyeska’s stated purpose is “… to extend the economic life of the pipeline through increased efficiencies, while maintaining the highest safety, integrity and environmental standards. The use of modern technology and automation will maintain current pipeline reliability at a lower cost while allowing more flexibility for future increases or decreases in throughput.” Alyeska released some specifics of its Strategic Reconfiguration of VMT facilities to Joint Pipeline Office personnel and PWSRCAC staff in a briefing held on April 29, 2004. Business drivers are primary in the reconfiguration. The main thrusts are to make a complex facility less complex and to effect efficiencies by replacing obsolete or obsolescent facilities having considerable process overcapacity with modern, more efficient, and modular facilities that are correctly sized for anticipated pipeline throughput. Preliminary engineering is concentrating on the following issues: (1) redesign or replacement of the BWTF; (2) reduction of crude oil storage capacity from the current 18 tanks to as few as 10; (3) installation of internal floating roofs; (4) conversion of salt-water fire system to a gravity-fed fresh water system; (5) consolidation of office space at the VMT to the Valdez Terminal Office (VTO) building; (6) replacement of current power vapor system with utility power and an emergency backup generators; (7) replacement of vapor handling of power vapor facility with new combustor; (8) redesign or replacement of metering facilities with modern functional equivalent; and (9) redesign or replacement of current supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and

5-1


communications systems with a system capable of operating TAPS remotely. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Joint Pipeline Office (JPO) has determined that an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Strategic Reconfiguration planned for the systems, processes, and facilities at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT). A Strategic Reconfiguration Working Group was formed as the result of the JPO’s July 23 meeting scoping an environmental assessment of reconfiguration activities proposed by Alyeska. Participants in the Working Group, which first met on August 19, 2004, come from staff, Council members, from JPO, from the USCG, from the City of Valdez, and from Alyeska. Alyeska has prepared “Strategic Reconfiguration of the Valdez Marine Terminal: Environmental Report” and has submitted it to JPO with a request for a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) now expected to be issued in November or December. Alyeska has notified both PWSRCAC and JPO that the Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTF) is not being included in their Strategic Reconfiguration activities. Nevertheless Alyeska is known to be considering various business-driven options for reconfiguring the BWTF and other systems not in their environmental report. The Strategic Reconfiguration Working Group formed seven sub-groups that developed lists of concerns associated with a broad range of technical, regulatory, and socioeconomic issues. A preliminary set of these concerns was validated by the Working Group and provided to JPO in early October. JPO staff reports that this input has been of help in their development of the environmental assessment now due for issuance to the public in mid-November. 556: Seismic Re-Engineering of VMT (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: Because better seismic engineering is now available for asset protection and because the 1964 earthquake is now believed to have been more severe than originally thought, PWSRCAC is concerned that the seismic protection of VMT assets may not be adequate for an earthquake of the size that occurred in 1964. Specific concerns are the stability of containment dikes around the various types of storage tanks, stability slopes, stability of earth and rock support under the various storage tanks, and the structural integrity of all oil handling components of the VMT especially those weakened by corrosion. The specific objectives of the Seismic Re-engineering of the VMT Project are: (1) to identify current extent to which VMT may not satisfy current seismic engineering standards; (2) to examine seismic re-engineering issues at the VMT; (3) to recommend feasible seismic re-engineering activities for the VMT; (4) to identify current risks of significant oil spills due to large earthquakes at or near the VMT; (5) to coordinate with other seismic studies being conducted in Alaska; and (6) to identify if degradation of physical plant has lessened its capability to withstand earthquakes. November 5 Status: In June 2003, Alyeska briefed the JPO and PWSRCAC on its earthquake preparedness program and its slope stability program. TOEM and staff have developed a request for proposals that seeks a consultant with seismic expertise. The deadline for proposals is February 27. No responsive proposals were received in response to the RFP. Staff discussions with JPO and a contractor who had shown an interest in the RFP, indicate that the ambitious scope specified in the RFP exceeded the budget available. Staff is seeking guidance on appropriate modifications to budget and scope. JPO is considering the seismic aspects of Alyeska’s strategic reconfiguration. For example, JPO is requiring that the reconfigured TAPS control room to be relocated in Anchorage must have earthquake protection built into the control center and its communications systems. Because of budget shortfalls, action on this project has been deferred until January 2005. 557: Valdez Air Quality (Tom Kuckertz) The purpose of this project is to quantify, to measure, and ultimately to reduce concentrations of hazardous air pollutants in Valdez and at the VMT. Air quality issues in the Valdez area resulting from emissions at the VMT have been a concern of the PWSRCAC for some time. Objectives: PWSRCAC is concerned that volatile organic compounds and other pollutants emitted from processes at the VMT may be affecting the quality of life in Valdez. The purpose of this project is to quantify, measure, and ultimately reduce concentrations of hazardous air pollutants in Valdez and at the VMT. The specific objectives of the Valdez Air Quality Project are: (1) to assess scope of effort necessary to study Valdez air quality issues; (2) to identify and analyze applicable federal, state, and local rules and regulations; (3) to review current air quality monitoring activities in Valdez

5-1


as they pertains to VMT operations; (4) to develop an air quality monitoring program for City of Valdez; (5) to analyze air quality data and to quantify health risks; and (6) to recommend mitigation efforts as required. The following priorities have been identified: (a) encourage EPA to cover the VMT in its NESHAP-OLD final rule; (b) encourage ADEC not to accept proposed amendments to Alyeska’s current air quality permit that would relieve Alyeska of adhering to boiler fuels limitations and opacity monitoring; (c) encourage ADEC to work Alyeska’s Title V permit now pending with it; (d) develop better estimates of total emissions from the VMT by means of emissions inventories and air quality modeling; (e) develop requirements for an emissions monitoring program relevant to the needs of Valdez residents, and (f) participate in DEC’s Air Permits Working Group. November 5 Status: PWSRCAC staff continues to follow up with EPA regarding the status of its comments on the NESHAP OLD Rule. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2004. As had been expected, the black oil exemption had been removed and the wastewater (including specifically ballast water) had been retained. On March 24, 2004, a Petition for Reconsideration was filed with the EPA. Shortly thereafter a private citizen filed a Petition for Review with the 1st District Court (Washington, DC). Both petitions allege a flawed process in retaining the wastewater exemption. On April 23, 2004, staff received notice that EPA had granted the Council’s Petition for Reconsideration. Staff and a contractor visited EPA in Seattle on April 22 to discuss the Petition for Reconsideration. Results from EPA’s Water 9 model of BWTF operations indicated that 275 tons per year of BETX are being emitted from these operations. During February, the EPA deemed that the Water9 model was reasonably complete and that it was producing correct results. Alyeska is now in contact with EPA regarding the Water9 results and is providing EPA with engineering and newly measured process data from the BETX Fate Study so that the Water9 model of the BWTF processes produces better results. Sally Shaver, Anita Frankel, and Peter Murchie, Environmental Protection Agency staff visited the VMT with a tour of the BWTF and PWSRCAC’s Valdez office on July 26 for the purpose of having discussions with both Alyeska and PWSRCAC regarding EPA's reconsideration of the NESHAP-OLD final rule. On July 27, the EPA visitors visited Alyeska’s corporate office and visited local EPA officials in Anchorage and also met with staff, SAC members, and Council members at PWSRCAC’s Anchorage office. On November 2, 2004, staff, contractors, and many regulated entities having an interest in the reconsidered NESHAP-OLD met with EPA in a teleconference to provide current rule status. EPA will issue a direct final rule on non-controversial changes to the rule. EPA has indicated that wastewater will be included in the reconsidered rule. Types of wastewater include ballast water, maintenance water, and tank drawdowns. Although few details are available, it appears that there will not be a floor to which emissions from ballast water will need control; however, it also appears that EPA will be also doing a beyond-the-floor analysis to determine if economical control solutions exist for existing ballast water treatment facilities. Alyeska’s PSD and Title V permits were issued after considerable negotiations between ADEC and Alyeska and after many comments from PWSRCAC. Alyeska has requested adjudicatory hearings regarding the provisions of each permit and has also requested a stay of implementation regarding certain provisions of the Title V permit. PWSRCAC urged ADEC to not grant Alyeska’s requests for the adjudicatory hearings and to start enforcing the Title V provisions that had been stayed pending the hearing requests. The Commissioner of Environmental Conservation has granted adjudicatory hearings to examine some of issues of concern to Alyeska. The hearings into one that would consider all the issues associated with each air quality permit. Evidentiary material (~400 pages from Alyeska) has been filed with ADEC and scheduling of the hearing appears imminent. Staff requested copies of the evidentiary materials on August 26 and paid the requested copying fee. After multiple inquiries with the Commissioner’s office, the materials were finally delivered to the Valdez office on November 2. Alyeska attorneys and ADEC attorneys and others (not PWSRCAC) have negotiated a settlement agreement regarding issues that were resolved at the staff level. Comments on the permits as amended by the settlement agreement are due by November 8, 2004. Those items not in the settlement agreement are to be considered by the Commissioner. The opacity provisions of the permits are still pending adjudication by the Commissioner. In fact, photographs taken by staff are among the evidentiary materials before the ADEC Commissioner. In one such picture, shown in Figure 4, two tankers and three tugs are emitting smoke.

5-1


Figure 4 – Two Tankers and Three Tugs at VMT on September 12, 2004

558: Chemical Analysis of the BWTF Effluent (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: Tankers calling at the VMT offload oily ballast water that is treated to remove the oil. The treated ballast water is discharged into Port Valdez. From many parts per thousand, the oil concentration is reduced to a few parts per million at the diffuser in Port Valdez. Alyeska’s NPDES permit allows the discharge of small concentrations of named pollutants. The concentrations of pollutants being discharged are within those permitted; however, there are concerns that the effluent from the Ballast Water Treatment Facility contains pollutants for which there are no monitoring requirements. Included among these concerns are alkylated homologues and certain non-organic chemicals used to inhibit corrosion. PWSRCAC seeks to determine the extent to which pollutants for which there are no monitoring requirements are present in the effluent. Primary objectives of this project are to (1) collect and to analyze 4 effluent samples using NOAA & EPA analysis suites; (2) assess extent to which unmonitored analytes are present in effluent; and (3) identify hazards and risk associated with any present but unmonitored analytes. November 5 Status: Staff negotiated a contract with Payne Environmental Consultants who is already doing similar and complementary work for PWSRCAC for the microbial efficiency project. Field sampling of the effluent took place on March 22 and more recently on September 2. Collected samples were sent to Woods Hole Group Environmental Laboratories in Raynham, Massachusetts. See status of Project 560 – Microbial Efficiency of Biological Activity at the BWTF for more information.

5-1


559: Corrosion Abatement Study (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: At the time of its original design, the useful life of the VMT was thought to be 30 years and many of the subsystems and components were designed accordingly. The lifetimes of most VMT components are limited by wear out due to mechanical action and corrosion due to electrolytic currents and the handling of inherently corrosive fluids. The identification of specific corrosion instances is difficult because many are hidden in buried pipe and on the inside of pipe and other components that must be disassembled. Alyeska is fixing selected corrosion problems and putting selected components on 5 and 10-year maintenance cycles. The primary objective of this project are: (1) to identify extent to which corrosion issues exist at VMT; (2) to monitor Alyeska’s efforts to address corrosion issues at the VMT; (3) to verify that Alyeska has procedures in place to identify and to address corrosion issues; (4) to verify that maintenance schedules are sufficiently frequent to address recurring corrosion; (5) to verify that appropriate standards regarding corrosion are in use at VMT and that these standards drive appropriate maintenance and inspection schedules; and (6) to verify that permitted extents of corrosion are acceptable and that inspection schedules are sufficiently frequent and thorough. November 5 Status: Alyeska briefed the JPO and PWSRCAC on its corrosion abatement program during June 2003. TOEM and staff published a request for proposals having a response deadline of February 27. A professional services contract with Coffman Engineers was recently negotiated with Coffman Engineers. Staff and contractor attended a joint Alyeska, JPO and PWSRCAC meeting scheduled on April 27 in Anchorage at the JPO office. Project specifics and expectations were the subject of later discussions at the Council’s Anchorage office later that afternoon. Alyeska assembled the corrosion reports to be used in support of the project during mid-May. Alyeska indicated a desire to have all interactions, including delivery of information, with Coffman Engineers to be via PWSRCAC staff. Unfortunately, staff vacations, Alyeska absences from the office, and an illness, delayed delivery of the corrosion reports until July 6. The reports have since been forwarded to Rodney Evans, the Coffman expert performing the analyses. Alyeska has provided recently completed corrosion reports for 2003 to Coffman staff. Coffman staff has analyzed the reports and examined Alyeska’s corrosion database on October 25 and 25. Additionally, Coffman staff accomplished the field inspection of the VMT on October 25. 560: Microbial Efficiency of Biological Activity at the BWTF (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: In the third and final step of the treatment process to remove hydrocarbons from oily ballast water, bacteriological action converts the benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, and xylene (BETX) to harmless compounds. The process takes place in the Biological Treatment Tanks (BTT) – large, aerated, open, concrete-lined ponds. The aeration and mixing action in the pond compete with the bacteriological action in removal of hydrocarbons from the effluent. The aeration processes do not convert hydrocarbons in the effluent to harmless compounds; they merely remove pollutants from the ballast water and discharge them into the ambient air. The extent to which BETX is being consumed by bacteria or is being aerated out of the biological treatment process has been a matter of speculation. PWSRCAC seeks to identify the contributions made by bacteriological action and by aeration to removal of hydrocarbons from the BWTF effluent. The objectives of this project are to: (1) to identify or confirm total BETX being input to the BTT processes; (2) to identify fractions of BETX subject to aeration and subject to bacteriological action; (3) to identify seasonal differences (perhaps dependent upon temperature) in the processes; and (4) to recommend mitigation measures as appropriate. November 5 Status: Payne Environmental Consultants, Inc. is providing the measurement of process variables, analytic results (via subcontracted analytic laboratories) data analysis, and interpretation of raw data. Field sampling of the effluent took place on March 22. Alyeska has reported preliminary results from the field samplings of April and August of its "Ballast Water Treatment System BTEX Fate Study. " Alyeska’s study is intended to be a comprehensive study of the DAF and BTT processes. The purpose of Alyeska’s study is to characterize the BWTF process sufficiently well to reconfigure it for its intended future use. Both air and water samples are being used to assist in characterizing the processes. In general, the efficiency of the biological treatment process is to be enhanced by making it more aerobic (i.e. adding oxygen in a manner such that

5-1


aeration is rendered an insignificant part of the process). Both Alyeska and PWSRCAC are planning January 2005 field samplings for each of the projects. Alyeska and PWSRCAC are informally discussing and coordinating their field samplings and experimental protocols. Staff and contractors have observed Alyeska’s sampling activities for its BETX Fate Study. Discussions held between Alyeska contractors and our Microbial Efficiency contractor continue to indicate that significant microbial activity is occurring in the Biological Treatment Tanks (BTTs and 3rd stage of processing for BWTF effluent). Air measurements also continue to indicate that significant BETX (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene) emissions are also occurring, from the splitter box at the entrance to the BTTs and the weirs upon exit from the dissolved air flotation (DAF) cells. The quantitative aspects of microbial activity and BETX emissions have not been determined; however, all available evidence indicates that emissions of hazardous air pollutants from the processes at the BWTF exceed EPA's major source threshold (25 tons) for such pollutants by a factor of 5 to 10 561: State of the Environment (Tom Kuckertz) Objectives: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) has been in operation since 1977. During 25-plus years of operation, approximately 13-billion (13,000,000,000) barrels of oil have been loaded into tankers at the Valdez Marine Terminal, (VMT). In order to accommodate the crude oil loaded onto tankers, approximately 126-billion (3,000,000,000 barrels) gallons of oily ballast water were offloaded, treated, and subsequently discharged into Port Valdez. The cumulative discharge from the 25-years of VMT operations into Port Valdez also includes approximately 13,000 barrels of non-water-soluble total recoverable oil and grease (TROG). Emissions into the Valdez air shed include approximately 30,000 tons of BETX (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene). Project seeks to identify cumulative, adverse long-term environmental effects occasioned by the introduction of the large quantities of pollutants Valdez’s air and water. Project will consist of literature searches and analyses performed by contractors supplemented by a few gap-filling measurements. Planning efforts only will take place in FY2004. November 5 Status: Recommendations coming from an LTEMP retreat in June indicated that the scope of the project needed further refinement. TOEM Committee recommended that the concept of adding additional LTEMP sites in Port Valdez be explored. SAC recommended that the scope be narrowed and directed toward further development of the concepts pertaining to transport and exposure pathways and potential petroleum toxicity to marine resources in Prince William Sound. 600: Oil Spill Response Planning Program (Joe Banta) Objectives: Through this program, PWSRCAC develops positions and recommendations on oil spill response technologies, reviews state and federal contingency plans and plan-related issues, promotes compliance with and enforcement and funding of existing environmental regulations, supports maintenance and improvement of the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) process, and promotes the incorporation of local knowledge of sensitive areas in contingency planning. November 5 Status: Staff continues to coordinate C-Plan Project Team meetings as needed. Staff also attends monthly OSPR Committee meetings, participates in various drills and exercises and attends monthly coordination meetings for the VMT and the PWS Tanker plans as well as condition of approval-specific work group meetings. Efforts continue in the program focused on: work group processes following the 2003 approvals of both the VMT and tanker plans, the tug escort project, and on the state’s contingency plan review (CPR) process that is revising oil spill response regulations. Staff and the C-Plan Project Team held a retreat/work session on October 20 to review project status as well as budget proposals for the upcoming year. Review of proposed revisions to the Alaska Coastal Management Program continue under the federal Office of Coastal Resource Management. DNR’s efforts to revise the program have been deemed significant and will need to undergo a full EIS beginning in January. Staff will present a short update on the process at the December Board meeting.

5-1


641: ShoreZone Mapping Project (Joe Banta) This project supports the extension of the ShoreZone Mapping system into Prince William Sound from the Kodiak, Cook Inlet and Kenai Peninsula areas where it has already been developed. ShoreZone is a procedure for mapping coastal habitats and has also been applied widely to the BC and Washington coastlines (entire coasts in BC and Washington State have been mapped) as well as Cook Inlet, Kodiak and the Lower Kenai Peninsula. The ShoreZone technique involves flying and video-imaging the shoreline at the lowest tides of the year so that the entire intertidal zone is imaged. Biologists and geologists on-board the aircraft provide additional commentary on the video sound tracks during the overflight. Detailed geomorphology, substrate and intertidal biology data are then mapped from the imagery. The project funds the initial flying and video imaging of western PWS in the area from Whittier to Chenega. November 5 Status: A summary report, CDs and DVDs of the western PWS imagery were provided to PWSRCAC in late September. Staff drafted a continuation budget sheet for FY 06, and it was included in the draft annual work plan developed in October and will be reviewed at the December Board Meeting. 644: Community Impacts Planning (Lisa Ka’aihue) Objectives: Update the CIP Scientific Response Plan in the PWSRCAC Emergency Response Plan. Plan for an update to the Coping with Technological Disasters Guidebook. November 5 Status: On Thursday, October 14, a spill took place in Commencement Bay in Puget Sound. The spill is estimated to be approximately 1,000 gallons that have spread in the water from north Tacoma to the Seattle area. So far, a responsible party has not been named, although subpoenas have been issued to individuals, vessels and to one local facility. Clean up costs are estimated at $2 million so far. The Coping with Technological Disasters Guidebook was sent to a group called People for Puget Sound. We had previously sent the guidebook to the State of Washington (DOE) in response to the Olympic pipeline disaster. 651: Contingency Planning Project (Joe Banta) Objectives: This project monitors and comments on state contingency plans for the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT), TAPS tankers, and related issues. The project also promotes region-wide response capability focusing on areas outside of Prince William Sound. This year, work on the tanker plans focused on work group follow-up to the review process that was completed in 2003. Similarly, VMT work focused on PWSRCAC participation in work group processes following DEC’s final finding and VMT plan approval on April 11, 2003. November 5 Status: Tanker Plans: Staff participates in the Tanker Plan Work Group process that is reviewing, revising and streamlining the tanker plan. The next plan section the work group intends to work on is training. Efforts continue to go slow in this work group, in part, because DEC has been short staffed in this area, but the first week of November they announced Vince Kelly had been hired into the position. Valdez Marine Terminal C-Plan: Efforts continue on the VMT C-plan work group phase with staff participating in the VMT C-Plan Coordination Work Group and related work group processes. The next meeting of the Coordination WG is scheduled for November 10. The revisions to the VMT c-plan due to the out-of-compliance notice that Alyeska received June 18, 2004 from DEC because of problems with the training section of the VMT Plan have been sent back to Alyeska for more work. A public review of the revised training information is expected around late November. A VMT Plan scenario 4 exercise was held October 14, 2004 with much of the effort simulated. 653: Weather Data Project (Joe Banta) Objectives: This project studies wind, water current and other environmental factors near the Valdez Marine Terminal, in Prince William Sound, and in the Gulf of Alaska which may affect the ability to prevent, respond to, contain, and clean up an oil spill. November 5 Status: Surface Current Mapping: The UAF surface current mapping (CODAR) project has completed the testing phase and UAF personnel continue validating and collecting data.

5-1


It is currently available on the web - (http://halibut.ims.uaf.edu:8000/~salmon/CODAR/Data/raw_totals/Prince_William_Sound/). Dr. Musgrave presented an informative project update to the OSPR Committee at its October 6 meeting. Reliability has been almost flawless - much better than expected, although one site just went down due to high winds moving the data transmission antennae. PWS Weather Stations: Staff continues to pursue setting up the second portable remote station at the head of Port Etches where winds funnel in from the Eastern side of Hinchinbrook from the Copper River Flats and the Gulf. Staff is looking into a USFS permit for that site. 654: GRS Development (Joe Banta) Objectives: This project promotes region-wide response capability, focusing on the PWS Tanker C-Plan conditions of approval and other stakeholder agreements. It supports the development of geographic response strategies (GRS) in the PWSRCAC region as a primary mechanism for the protection of sensitive areas and resources. Following development of GRS, this project supports their incorporation into the State/Federal Subarea plans for the PWSRCAC region along with a clear link by industry plans to the GRS and their implementation. November 5 Status: GRS work groups for Prince William Sound and the Seward Zone of the Outer-Kenai Coast have finalized 29 GRS sites for each zone and forwarded them to the Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet Subarea Plans. The goal is for both Subarea Plans to undergo public review for the inclusion of the respective GRS sites in late 2004. Drafts of the PWS and Seward Zone GRS sites can be viewed at: http://www.state.ak.us/dec/spar/perp/grs/pws/home.htm. Prince William Sound: The Tactics Group met Thursday, September 30 at the PWSRCAC office in Anchorage to review the revisions of tactics for several areas. The GRSs from Windy Bay and Port Valdez have been added, and the Copper River Flats are still being examined, but will likely remain in the same more generic format. The work group website will be updated soon with revisions. There will be a meeting of the full GRS work group the second week of January 2005. The work group plans to start another round of GRSs for the Kodiak subarea, the first half of next year. Copper River: Aerial photography was complete in late June 2004, and site surveys have been rescheduled to the early May 2005 timeframe. GRS format will likely remain in the same more generic format originally developed for the area due to the highly changeable nature of the sand bars and mud flats in the area. Lower/Outer Kenai Coast: At the September 30 meeting the work group reviewed the June 6, 2004 survey results and the maps developed from them. 657: Nearshore Response & Planning Outside PWS (Joe Banta) Objectives: The area outside PWS is at risk from spilled oil as the currents and prevailing weather carry oil out of PWS and to the west. A TAPS tanker spill has had devastating impact on downstream communities and resources and could do so again in the future. Developing a detailed plan for the protection of the area could do much to mitigate the impacts of a future spill in an area that has had little localized spill response planning. This project works to ensure that all responsible parties are committed to continued nearshore response and sensitive areas protection outside PWS and that a sufficient, detailed plan exists for that effort in the event of a response planning standard size spill in PWS where spilled oil escapes PWS and threatens downstream communities. The project promotes the development of this detailed plan as a stand-alone plan that can be presented to the PWS Subarea Plan and/or the Cook Inlet Subarea Plan Committees for inclusion in them. An important component of the detailed plan will be ensuring that sufficient, specific equipment is available and can be transported into the area in a timely manner. November 5, 2004 Status: The draft white paper has been revised with the scenario incorporated and equipment tables added. A public outreach and scoping process continues. Following this process, the goal is to finalize the plan at the December or March Board meeting.

5-1


659: Coastal Community Oil Spill Cooperatives Feasibility Study (Joe Banta) Objectives: This project reviews PWSRCAC's 1992 study of the feasibility of a network of coastal community based spill response co-ops to be located in PWSRCAC’s region, and evaluates the related "Firehouse Model" local response model proposed by DEC. The project will then integrate the two concepts into an updated, comprehensive plan for a local spill response network for use in PWSRCAC's region. If implemented, the result would be a network of local volunteers trained and equipped to protect their local resources and mitigate the impacts of a spill in the area of their community. November 5, 2004 Status: The project team thinks that there are places in Alaska that community-based response teams could work, like it has in Southeast Alaska with SEAPRO, and in the two RCAC’s regions where there are several small organizations and communities that could benefit from increased networking and shared resources and training. Following project team discussion and support of the concept, staff is getting the organizations in our region together on January 14, 2005 for a small workshop to evaluate the potential of developing such a community-based network. 662: Contingency Plan Streamlining (Rhonda Williams) Objectives: ADEC has developed a project to review and update the existing Alaska regulations for oil spill prevention and response. Changes to the Alaska oil spill prevention and response regulations may positively or negatively affect the oil spill prevention and response capability in PWS and requires RCAC input and oversight. This project is proposed to be proactive in providing ADEC with comments and input regarding changes to the regulations. November 5 Status: A project team has been formed. Due to changes in the schedule of ADEC work has progressed more slowly than anticipated. Staff will attend an ADEC meeting November 9 in Anchorage to comment on the oil spill prevention regulations located in 18 AAC 75 Article 1. The meeting will include a general overview of the CPR project and phase 2 as well as crude oil transmission pipelines and above ground storage tanks and facility piping. 700: Oil Spill Response Operations Program (Tony Parkin) Description: The Oil Spill Response Operations Program encompasses monitoring and reporting on the on-going activities related to the operational readiness of oil spill response personnel, equipment and organization of the TAPS shipping industry. This program monitors oil spill incidents within our region and evaluates response readiness. The Oil Spill Response Operations Program also writes and implements the PWSRCAC Emergency Response Plan. November 5 Status: Exercise evaluation criteria developed for Near Shore Response Operations were used to plan and assess a large scale near shore exercise conducted near Cordova in September 2004. This drill was held during the fall fishing vessel training during which crews received classroom and hands on equipment training. An evaluation of the Emergency Response Plan has been conducted and changes are being made to the plan. 752: Preparedness Monitoring Project (Tony Parkin) Objectives: Objectives for the FY04 Drill Monitoring Project are to promote oil spill response operational readiness within the EVOS region by observing, monitoring and reporting on spill response drills, exercises and training; to provide citizens, regulatory agencies and responders (Alyeska and the shippers) with independent observations and recommendations to improve preparedness; and to provide citizen oversight. Many of the components of this project are carried out through a contract with an independent professional Drill Monitor. November 5 Status: A large scale nearshore exercise was held in Nelson Bay in September and the annual Valdez Marine Terminal drill was held in October with a large VEOC mobilization and on-water response. Staff and the drill monitor were evaluators for the drill and the PWSRCAC VEOC office was opened for the drill. An advertisement has been posted on the website and in various newspapers for the staff position to replace the independent drill monitor.

5-1


753: SERVS Operational Review/Federal C-Plan (Tony Parkin) Objectives: PWSRCAC will facilitate an independent review of selected Federal Vessel Response Plans (VRPs) with a potential corresponding review of SERVS operations in support of the Federal PWS specific requirements for the Oil Spill Response Organization for vessel plan holders. November 5 Status: Staff has been involved in equipment inspections of equipment throughout Prince William Sound and will continue to participate in this work and act as an “unofficial independent entity” in reviewing the equipment inspection program. A staff member was scheduled to accompany ADEC on the inspections at the Main Bay Hatchery but the schedule was changed by SERVS with no prior notice given to either ADEC or staff. As far as is known, other than the equipment in Cordova and Valdez, there have been no independent inspections for at least the past 12 months of equipment stored at other locations throughout PWS. At the present time there is no “independent entity” performing equipment inspections or reviewing the equipment inspection program for the remote depots in PWS as directed under federal regulations. 754: Scientific Response Plan Project (Tony Parkin) Objectives: This project is tasked with promoting the development of a scientific emergency response plan that will guide initial scientific response to a major oil spill. November 5 Status: This is an on-going project and a meeting is being planned to address the plans for water, air and LTEMP sampling that will take place in the event of an emergency. The current plan has undergone an external review and changes to the plan will be implemented in the near future. 756: Response Gap/Closure Limits (Tony Parkin) Objectives: There has long been concern over the gap that exists between closure limits and the upper limit of weather and sea conditions when a spill response has to be conducted. There is a wide range of sea and weather conditions in which if there is an oil spill there is no requirement to commence or resume a clean up operation. This project is important to gather together information on all aspects of the response gap in an effort to reduce the gap or eliminate it from our region. November 5 Status: A scope of work has been developed and will be reviewed by members of the OSPR committee prior to issuing a request for proposals for this project. 755: Telecommunications within PWS (Rhonda Williams) Objectives: This project will review existing telecommunications within PWS to determine the adequacy and reliability of the systems in the event of a future crisis. This review will identify all stakeholders/key players that will be involved in an emergency response and will also cover interagency communications November 5 Status: A working group has been formed. A limited bid RFP has been mailed to selected potential contractors and posted on the PWSRCAC website. Deadline on this RFP is noon, November 18, 2004. 800: Maritime Operations Program (Rhonda Williams) Objectives: This program reviews port organization, operations, incidents, and the adequacy and maintenance of the vessel traffic system and coordinates with Port Operations and Vessel Traffic (POVTS) Committee. Major program components include participation with the Valdez Marine Safety Committee, monitoring changes to the escort system, reviewing Best Available Technology documents for the escort system and the Vessel Emergency Response Plan (VERP), and supporting maintenance for the NOAA weather stations. November 5 Status: Staff continues to attend the Valdez Marine Safety Committee meetings. Staff continues to meet with all three shippers representatives, Crowley Marine Services, the USCG and others on a regular basis. Staff continues to follow the changes being implemented to the PRT lines and winches. The week of November 1 PWSRCAC hosted a delegation from the Baltic region that was sponsored by the US State Department.

5-1


801: Evaluation of PWS Escort Requirements (Rhonda Williams) Objectives: As more fully redundant tankers enter the TAPS Trade fleet, there may be an initiative on behalf of the shipping companies to reduce the number of escort tugs that accompany each tanker as it transits PWS. This project will review the current escort requirements, review current requirements mandated for escorting tankers and evaluate the risks associated with future escorting options that could be brought forth as the redundant ships begin to outnumber the single hull vessels. November 5 Status: A draft position supporting the current escort system (i.e. no reduction in tugs) has been prepared and will be presented to the Board at the December meeting. This draft position is consistent with a position taken by the Board in 1994. Another report outlining human factors related to vessel incidents will also be presented for review and approval. 856: Places of Refuge Project (Rhonda Williams) Objectives: Often tankers and other ships in need of assistance seek safe places to harbor, commonly called places of refuge. This project will work to establish safe harboring areas in Prince William Sound by pre-identifying sensitive resources and geographic response options. This project will promote communication with the citizens we represent to open discussions on the need for preplanning for a port of refuge as well as setting criteria for a port of refuge response. November 5 Status: Staff has been participating in workgroup meetings and responding to public input. Staff is in the process of performing community outreach programs to solicit valuable local knowledge into this project. For the most current information on this project please go to: http://www.state.ak.us/dec/spar/perp/pwspor/wg.htm. Citizen and PWSRCAC volunteer participation and input is important to the process. The deadline for public comment was November 15. There is a PPOR working group meeting scheduled for December 8, 2004. 900: Environmental Monitoring Program (Lisa Ka'aihue) Objectives: The Environmental Monitoring Program encompasses site-specific and region-wide monitoring activities. 934: In Situ Burning (Dan Gilson) Objectives: To develop an PWSRCAC position on the technique of burning crude oil as a viable oil spill response option. November 5 Status: Staff has prepared a position paper on the use of In-situ burning as an oil spill response option for board approval. Staff is asking the board to approve a position that favors mechanical response over in-situ burning, but recognizes there are times when burning may be appropriate, such as in broken ice conditions or oil trapped by natural barriers. The paper outlines future research such as toxicity tests of burn residue in pelagic, demersal, and benthic organisms. 951: Long-term Environmental Monitoring Project (Lisa Ka'aihue) Objectives: LTEMP is a region wide program designed to monitor the environmental impacts of the operations of terminal facilities and crude oil tankers in the PWSRCAC region. FY05 study design requires hydrocarbon monitoring at 10 sites in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska by taking and analyzing mussel tissue. Results are summarized in annual reports. November 5 Status: LTEMP FY05 EVOS Trustee Funding. Our joint LTEMP proposal with Auke Bay Laboratory was approved for funding and included in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee’s FY05 workplan. Because of this funding, a change order was completed to add the winter sampling back to LTEMP this fiscal year. LTEMP Fall Sampling. The fall sampling in Port Valdez occurred mid-October without any problems. LTEMP Data. The entire LTEMP dataset (1993-2003) is now available via our website.

5-1


952: Aquatic Nuisance Species Project (Marilyn Leland & Lisa Ka'aihue) Objectives: To research the risk of invasion of PWS by aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) as a result of oil tanker ballast water discharge, and to research means by which that risk can mitigate. November 5 Status: SERC Research. We continue to support research by the Smithsonian team by administering USF&WS grants. International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species. TOEM member Bob Benda attended this conference and will be reporting to the Board at the December meeting. Invasive Species Advisory Council Meeting. Marilyn Leland attended an ISAC meeting in October. NIS web pages update. Susan Harvey is working on two updates to the NIS webpages: a database update (identifying new research to add to the database) and the technology fact sheets. 954: Contaminant Pathways (Lisa Ka'aihue) Objectives: Under this project we are jointly supporting a study by Dr. Mary Anne Bishop of the Prince William Sound Science Center and Sean P. Powers of the University of South Alabama. The title of the study is “Characterization of Energy and Potential Contaminant Pathways in Subarctic Estuarine Habitats: the Ecology of Tidal Flat Communities of the Copper River Delta, Alaska.” November 5 Status: We expect to receive a final report this fall on the project. 955: Dispersants (Lisa Ka'aihue & Joe Banta) Objectives: Over the next several years, it is hoped that we can determine if chemical dispersants stockpiled in our region are effective. We also hope to determine if toxicity (photoenhanced, long-term fate and effects) is of concern. We are very active in the ARRT’s on-going review of dispersant testing protocols and guideline revisions. It is anticipated that research will be forthcoming out of that review. This may be a two to three year process. November 5 Status: ARRT Science and Technology Work Group. We have been participating in the two subgroups formed under the Science and Technology (S&T) Committee. One group is recommending dispersants research to the larger S&T; the other group is reviewing and revising the guidelines. Lou Beaudry has been named the Board representative to the ARRT. Research Needs Work Group: This group finalized a set of research needs recommendations in July of 2003 and forwarded them on to the ARRT S&T Committee. The Committee is finally going to meet on November 10 to review the recommendations. Travel requests have been prepared requesting Executive Committee approval to bring Tom Copeland to Anchorage for this meeting. Guidelines Work Group: The guidelines group met on October 5. The group focused on dispersant monitoring protocols. Leslie Pearson, representing ADEC, presented draft dispersant monitoring requirements. Information on the various monitoring tools is presented in a table, as well as an overview of the current state of Alaska monitoring requirements. Leslie also presented a draft position on the dispersant preapproval zones. The state is proposing two dispersant zones, delineated by the state’s current three-mile state water jurisdiction. If implemented, all of Prince William Sound would become a Zone 2. The draft position is currently under legal review by the State’s attorneys. The next meeting of this group is set for early January. Ohmsett Testing. October 2003 tests: Dr. Payne is continuing to work on his technical report from the October 2003 Ohmsett experiments. He is waiting on official results from the Ohmsett folks to incorporate into his report. September 2004 Visit: Stan Jones and Dick Tremaine visited Ohmsett as part of a National Academies Committee for Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants meeting. A trip report is in your meeting packet. A presentation will be made at the December meeting.

5-1


Committee for Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects. The Ocean Studies Board sent out a request for input regarding an upcoming study on Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects. This study will review and evaluate existing information regarding the efficacy and effects of dispersants as an oil spill response technique. Focus will be placed on understanding the limitations imposed by the various methods used in these studies and to recommend steps that should be taken to better understand the efficacy of dispersant use and the effect of dispersed oil on freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments. Tom Copeland and Jim Payne sit on this committee. The individual committee members are currently writing up chapters for the draft report. It is expected that the report (or book) will be presented at the International Oil Spill Conference next May. You can track the progress of this committee at http://dels.nas.edu/dispersants/index.html. Dispersants Project Team. The project team is scheduled met September 28 to review the draft in situ burning position paper prepared by Dan Gilson. The project team also met on October 19 to discuss where we are going with our own dispersants goals. The project team decided that it would be worthwhile for us to wait another six months to see if the broad-based science effort really gets off the ground through the ARRT. At the same time, the dispersants project team discussed other dispersants projects we could be working on. An update will be provided at your meeting. Draft Salinity Report Dr. Merv Fingas has prepared a draft salinity report for review. This will be peer reviewed in early November. Wave Tank White Paper Under our current expert contract with Dr. Fingas, I have asked him to prepare a white paper that compares and contrasts all the known wave tanks that have been used for dispersant testing or could potentially be used for dispersant testing. I expect a draft in February 2005. 956: Copepod Testing (Lisa Ka’aihue) Objectives: This project involves hiring a contractor to collect Neocalanus plumchrus (NP) using plankton nets at five Port Valdez sites and one site in Prince William Sound. The NP would then be analyzed for the presence of hydrocarbons and also for the fingerprinting. November 5 Status: We expect a draft report in January 2005. 961: Port Valdez Coring and Dating (Tony Parkin) Objectives: This project is aimed at determining the history of hydrocarbon discharge into Port Valdez. Sediment cores will be collected throughout the Port and also from a “clean” reference area outside of the Port. The cores, up to two meters in length, will be horizontally sectioned and sediments will be dated using a radioisotope method to determine the date when the sediments were deposited on the seabed. Chemical analysis for petroleum hydrocarbons will be conducted on the sediments to determine if there have been significant periods of increased hydrocarbon input into the Port. November 5 Status: In the second week of May, 2004, Kinnetic Laboratories collected the sediment cores in Port Valdez and in Galena Bay. Cores were initially processed in Valdez prior to be being shipped to the analytical laboratories. Chemical and age dating analysis is currently underway. Preliminary chemical analysis results were received in October and their preliminary results will be presented to the Board at the December meeting. Some very preliminary isotope dating profiles were also received and more analysis is necessary to report on this data. A review of the data so far, led to the selection of the next samples to undergo both chemical and dating analysis.

fiscal year 2005 november 5, 2004 program & project status ... · 12/2/2004 · program &...

Documents