January 2018 Status Report

Transcription

1 ! January 2018 Status Report 3100 Public Information Program Objectives: Inform general public, member entities, and agency and industry partners of PWSRCAC projects. Support legal requirements for ongoing updates to the public Fishing Vessel Program Outreach Objectives: For bringing the realities of oil spill response tactics, equipment, and planning to life for citizens within Exxon Valdez oil spill region communities, the fishing vessel program is a perfect venue. Each fall and spring SERVS holds fishing vessel program training in the following communities: Cordova, Valdez, Whittier, Seward, Homer, and Kodiak. The on-water portion of the training, in partnership with Alyeska/SERVS, shows real-time capabilities of oil spill response equipment and tactics. This project contracts a local tour boat that will allow interested students, members of the public, and media to learn about oil spill response. The FY17 event was held in Cordova in May. The FY18 outreach event is scheduled for April in Homer. Scheduled Upcoming Events and Milestones: Late Fall 2018 SERVS Fishing Vessel Training Schedule Announced Dec/Jan RFP Open for Charter Companies Serving Homer Jan/Feb Charter Company Chosen and Charter Vessel Agreement Signed Feb/Mar Fishing Vessel Outreach Tour Advertising Apr Fishing Vessel Outreach Event, Homer 3500 Community Outreach Program Objectives: Increase awareness of PWSRCAC and increase communications with member organizations and communities in the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. Accomplishments since last report: PWSRCAC booth was exhibited, a presentation was given, or the Council participated in the following events as part of community outreach: 14 Sep Sep Oct Nov 17 Nov 30 Nov Public Reception, Whittier Alaska Cross Content Teacher Conference, Fairbanks Alaska Invasive Species Workshop, Anchorage Pacific Marine Expo, Seattle, WA National Association of Interpretation Presentation, Spokane, WA Science Night, Anchorage AK Cross Content Conference Page 1 of 20 Science Night Pacific Marine Expo

2 Recognition for Volunteer Involvement: Thanks to staff and volunteers for assistance with fall outreach activities, including Brooke Taylor, Shawna Popovici, Amanda Johnson, Jeremy Robida, Linda Robinson, Jim Herbert, and Joe Banta. Scheduled Upcoming Events and Milestones: Feb Alaska Forum on the Environment, Anchorage 7-10 Mar Kachemak Bay Science Conference, Homer Mar Community Visit, Port Lions or Ouzinkie Mar ComFish, Kodiak Jun Clean Pacific, Portland, OR 3530 Youth Involvement Objectives: Select proposals for youth activities, in collaboration with partner agencies and organizations throughout the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. Coordinate activities to facilitate hands-on learning about topics related to the Council s mission. Where appropriate and feasible, participate in appropriate youth activities. Accomplishments since last report: 13 Sep IEC Outreach Event, Whittier 9 Nov Chugach School District Presentation, Anchorage 6-8 Dec Homer Flex High School and UAA-Kachemak Bay Campus Outreach Whittier Outreach Event Oil Viscosity Races, Wildlife Clean-up, and GRS Mapping Request & Recognition for Volunteer Involvement: Thanks to staff and volunteers for assistance with Youth Involvement activities this fall, including: Trent Dodson, Steve Lewis, Savannah Lewis, Cathy Hart, Brooke Taylor, Amanda Johnson, Shawna Popovici, Nelli Vanderburg, Andrea Korbe, FY18.01 Youth Involvement Projects: Hermon Hutchens Elementary School: Crooked Creek Chum Salmon Incubation Project. Continued support for Valdez elementary students to explore Prince William Sound and learn about marine stewardship and safe oil transportation through a boat tour and oil spill prevention and response activities in the classroom. Alaska Geographic: Prince William Sound Teacher Expedition. Continued support for teachers from throughout the EVOS region exploring Prince William Sound via sea kayak to improve oil spill-related education in the classroom. Homer Flex High School: Increase Student Understanding of Oil Spill Prevention and the Effects of Oil. Support students learning from local Pratt Museum, Alaska Maritime Prevention and Response, SERVS, and Kasitsna Bay Laboratory resources to explore oil spill prevention and response in Kachemak Bay. Scheduled Upcoming Events and Milestones: 9-11 Feb Alaska Tsunami Bowl, Seward Mar Alaska Science and Engineering Fair, Anchorage Page 2 of 20

3 3562 Update Then and Now Objectives: Hire contractor to design the updated PWSRCAC Then and Now publication through 2019 and release it to coincide with the 30 th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill anniversary. The document will be used in community outreach for the following five years. Accomplishments since last report: Jul Developed Project Outline for Contractor Aug Began Text Review Scheduled Upcoming Events and Milestones: Sep-Dec Text Review by Staff Jan-Nov Content to Contractor, Design 3600 Public Communications Program Objectives: This program disseminates information and increases awareness through the Observer newsletter and the Council s online presence. The Observer: Print and versions of the Observer newsletter are produced in February, June, and October. The production schedule and print layout was updated this fall. The print layout was changed to a more mobile friendly design to encourage more online readership, and to reduce excess paper waste. Staff is collecting feedback about the new design to incorporate in the future Web BAT Objectives: Website usage for is tracked through Google Analytics for information such as numbers of visitors, location of visitors, how the visitor found the site, which pages are visited most often, how much time is spent on particular pages, whether the visitor was engaged enough to visit more than one page and much more. Below is an overview for the year prior to this report (data from Dec 1, 2016-Dec 1, 2017): Total sessions (a session is the period of time a user is actively engaged with the website) Total users (total number of individual visitors to the site during the time period - this differs from total sessions because an individual may have visited the site more than once during the period) Total pageviews (Total number of pages viewed during the time period) Pages per session (an average number of individual pages that are opened during each session - more than 1 in this category typically means that a visitor was engaged enough in the content to visit more than one page) Percentage of visits from mobile users (mobile phone and tablet combined) Top 5 categories of content (other than home page) 18,010 12,959 34, % 1. About Staff/Board of Directors 2. News/Posts related to ECO transition 3. Oil Spill Prevention and Response/C-Plans 4. Project Jukebox/The Spill 5. Marine Firefighting Page 3 of 20

4 Top 5 ways visitors get to our website: 1. Organic Search (our website shows up during a search for a topic on our site) 44% 2. Paid search (someone clicks on an ad from our Google AdWords Grant program) 24% 3. Direct (the visitor has our website bookmarked as a favorite, or types into the browser) - 23% 4. Referral (a link from another website) 6% 5. Social (links from social media) - 2% This is a basic overview. Google Analytics tracks data about many different aspects of the website. Please contact Project Manager Amanda Johnson if you would like more details Connecting with Our Communities Objectives: Contract with a public relations firm to work with the Council to develop a long-term communications and public image strategy. Develop Council image, messaging, and voice, as well as contemporary ways to communicate who we are to the public within the EVOS region and beyond. Implement the strategy and evaluate its effectiveness in the short run. Make changes as necessary and implement for the long term. Accomplishments since last report: 18 Sept RFP posted 13 Oct Deadline for RFP submissions Oct RFP review project team reviewing proposals 1 Nov RFP review project team initial meeting 6-10 Nov Contractor finalist interviews and project team recommendations developed 14 Nov IEC approved project team recommendations Nov-Dec Finalizing budget details with first choice contractor with the intent to request contractor approval from Executive Committee in January 3903 Development of Youth Internship Objectives: Coordinate with regional secondary and higher education institutions to recruit students and for youth internships that support region-wide youth career experience needs in conjunction with Council project goals and mission. Accomplishments since last report: Sep Final FY2017 Monitoring Data Completed for SAC 1 Oct SAC Committee Youth Intern, Cori Pegau, Re-hired for FY Oct Alaska Invasive Species Conference, Anchorage Youth Intern, Cori Pegau, reading scientific posters at the AK Invasive Species Conference Page 4 of 20

5 Upcoming Winter Recruitment for FY2018 IEC Youth Internship 3990 Information Dissemination Objectives: This project s goal is to publicize information generated from the Council s technical committee projects. This program will help fund outreach for projects spearheaded by OSPR, SAC, POVTS and TOEM, as needed. Project results and information will be disseminated in a format that is easily understood by the general public. Accomplishments since last report: Staff is working to set up social media ads for posts related to Council projects. No data available yet Terminal Operation Program Objectives: This program is intended to monitor the actual and potential environmental impacts stemming from the operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal, and to review operational and maintenance practices at the facility. Operations & Maintenance Update Crude oil stored at the Valdez Marine Terminal in 2017 (Source: Alaska Department of Revenue Tax Division and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. *Current as of 12/11/2017) Page 5 of 20

6 Crude loaded and tanker visits in 2017 (Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Vessels Nearby Schedule. Partitioned by VMT vessel arrival date. *Current as of 12/11/2017) Inbound, crude oil laden tanker escorts in 2017 (Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Vessels Nearby Schedule. Partitioned by VMT vessel arrival date and determined based on if vessel was escorted inbound or not. *Current as of 12/11/2017) Page 6 of 20

7 Ballast water delivered to BWTF from tanker ships in 2017 (Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Vessels Nearby Schedule. Partitioned by VMT vessel arrival date. *Current as of 12/11/2017) Spills by volume in 2017 Includes all reported spills both into and outside of secondary containment areas. (Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Operations Control Center Spill Notification Form. *Current as of 12/11/2017) Page 7 of 20

8 Spills by substance in 2017 (Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Operations Control Center Spill Notification Form. *Current as of 12/11/2017) 5051 Water Quality Permit Review Objectives: The purpose of this project is to review, evaluate, and provide input and recommendations on the terminal s water quality permit. This permit is set to expire in December 2017 and Alyeska will need to reapply for this permit by July To complete this project a project team will be put together to review the current permit. That project team will come up with a set of questions or problems they feel need to be addressed regarding the current permit. If those questions require technical expertise not available to the Council internally or cannot be answered by Alyeska or our regulatory stakeholders, outside water quality expertise will be hired to help answer the project team s outstanding questions. Once the project team is satisfied with its evaluation of the current water permit they will also review and evaluate the permit application submitted by Alyeska as well as the draft permit issued by ADEC. The process used to evaluate the current water permit will be applied to the application documentation and draft permit. Upon completion of document review, the project team will develop comments regarding the draft permit and submit them to ADEC for their consideration. Accomplishments since last report: Requested information twice from Alyeska regarding their permit application documents Received and reviewed response from Alyeska regarding our first information request, second request from Alyeska still pending Received updates from ADEC regarding their best estimate on when draft permit would be available for review SAC Committee reviewed methods used by Alyeska to conduct Port Valdez sediment hydrocarbon monitoring 5052 Secondary Containment Liner Integrity Objectives: The purpose of this project is to research testing methods, non-destructive and destructive, that could be used by APSC to evaluate the integrity of the catalytically blown asphalt Page 8 of 20

9 (CBA) liner used in the secondary containment systems at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT). Specific project objectives include: Research and review testing methods that could be used to evaluate the integrity of the CBA liner Recommend testing methods Accomplishments since last report: Finalized RFP, publicized it on PWSRCAC website, sent it directly to four different companies, sent it to all members of the ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics Received one proposal 5057 Air Quality Permit Review Objectives: The purpose of this project is to review, evaluate, and provide input and recommendations on the terminal s air quality permit. This permit is up for renewal in To complete this work, a project team will be put together to review the current permit. That project team will come up with a set of questions or problems they feel need to be addressed regarding the current permit. If those questions require technical expertise not available to the Council internally or cannot be answered by Alyeska or our regulatory stakeholders, outside technical expertise may be required. If so, air quality expertise will be hired to help answer the project team s outstanding questions. Once the project team is satisfied with its evaluation of the current air permit they will also review and evaluate the new draft permit from Alyeska. The process used to evaluate the current air permit review will be applied to the new draft permit. Upon completion of the new draft permit, the project team will develop comments on the permit and submit them to ADEC for their consideration. Accomplishments since last report: Harvey Consulting LLC. submitted draft report to Council Staff reviewed draft report and sent Harvey Consulting, LLC. editorial comments Added funding to the budget for this project in order to complete the Air Quality Chronology Report with Harvey Consulting, LLC Oil Spill Response Program 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, enforcement, and funding of existing environmental regulations; and promotes the incorporation of local knowledge of sensitive areas in contingency planning. Accomplishments since the last report: Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT) Meeting: The ARRT met in Cordova on September 21, The ARRT meeting summary can be viewed on the ARRT s website (alaskarrt.org). The next ARRT meeting is scheduled in Anchorage on January 31, Identification of Dispersant Use Avoidance Areas: Information on Dispersant Use Avoidance Areas has been updated and is available on ADEC s website HERE. Comments on the 2017 Avoidance Area Public Outreach and Identification were due to ADEC on December 1, 2017 (Comments attached as Attachment A). Page 9 of 20

10 6510 Contingency Planning Project Objectives: The purpose of this project is to monitor, review and comment on state and federal c- plans for the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) tankers that transit Prince William Sound. Reviewing c-plans is a major task for PWSRCAC as outlined in both the PWSRCAC/Alyeska contract and OPA 90. The Prince William Sound C-Plan associated vessel response plans for Alaska Tanker Company, BP Oil Shipping Company, Polar Tankers, SeaRiver Maritime, and Tesoro Alaska Company were renewed on November 2, The VMT Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan (VMT C- Plan) was renewed on November 21, 2014 and will remain in effect until Accomplishments since last report: VMT C-Plan VMT C-Plan Amendment : This amendment addressed Conditions of Approval (COA) No. 5, COA No. 6 [from the November 21, 2014 approval], and enhanced mechanical recovery technology and tactics into the response. COA No. 5 required Alyeska to develop protocols to assess potential environmental consequences of non-mechanical response options, and COA No. 6 required updates to scenarios, with Scenario 4 being the focus of this update. Improvement to mechanical recovery is provided by the incorporation of the Crucial skimmers and Current Buster system. PWSRCAC s comments focused on Alyeska s responses to two rounds of ADEC s Requests for Additional Information (RFAI). On October 23, 2017, ADEC issued a decision on VMT C-Plan Amendment , which can be viewed HERE. Due to concerns over the changes to the Solomon Gulch Hatchery and Valdez Duck Flats Sensitive Area Protection Mobilization Decision Matrix contained in Volume 3 of the plan (Table 9.0-1), PWSRCAC, the City of Valdez, and Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation filed a Request for Adjudicatory Hearing on November 21, (This step is considered an administrative appeal of ADEC s October 23, 2017 decision.) The original Decision Matrix, as part of a Condition of Approval in the 1997 plan, had been developed by a multi-stakeholder workgroup from lessons learned during the 1995 Eastern Lion spill. The revisions to the Matrix will rarely, if ever, trigger immediate and rapid deployment of protective boom for these areas in the early hours of a response. The joint request can be viewed HERE. Out of concern about the delay in protection of the Solomon Gulch Hatchery, Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA) submitted comments during the public review. Further, VFDA also filed a Request for Adjudicatory Hearing on November 21, VFDA s request can be viewed HERE. Documents on this appeal can be found on ADEC s website HERE. VMT C-Plan Amendment : VMT Amendment covers how Alyeska will manage the transition from the current Crowley fleet to the Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) fleet. Alyeska proposes using the Notice of Nonreadiness process which is typically used for maintenance or repair to major response items. ADEC issued Requests for Additional Information (RFAI) on November 17, 2017 (AVAILABLE HERE). Alyeska s responses to these RFAIs are due January 16, VMT Coordination Group meeting: The VMT Coordination Group meeting has been rescheduled to January 8, Prince William Sound Tanker C-Plan Comments to the Response Planning Group s (RPG) marine transition amendment were submitted to ADEC on September 18, The cover letter can be viewed HERE, comments are found HERE, and the report referenced in the comments entitled Recommendations to Verify and Sustain Page 10 of 20

11 Prevention and Response System Readiness in Prince William Sound by Little River Marine Consultants and Nuka Research and Planning can be viewed HERE. It is expected that ADEC will issue RFAIs by December 15, Weather Data / Sea Currents Project 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. Accomplishments since last report: A letter was sent to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company answering their questions about the proposed weather station to be installed at the marine terminal. No further response has been made by Alyeska. No additional changes since the last meeting Weather Buoy Demonstration Project Objectives: PWSRCAC is working with the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) to install a weather buoy at N W near Naked Island. Data will be collected from the buoy and compared to the West Orca Bay buoy. We will be using the Alaska Experimental Forecast Facility at UAA to assist in this effort. Maintenance requirements, service costs and reliability will be monitored for the term of the project. The buoy will be capable of transmitting real time weather data to AIS equipped vessels. Staff will work with the SERVS and shipping fleet to demonstrate this technology. Accomplishments since last report: Currently we are working with the Coast Guard and the FCC to permit the buoy AIS ATON (Automatic Identification System Aid to Navigation) transceiver. An alternative GPS tracker is being installed as a stopgap for the AIS system. The buoy was placed in the Cordova Harbor for testing. A leak was discovered in the cover of the ADCP. The instrument was sent back to the manufacturer to check for damage. None was found. Rob Campbell was built the anchoring system and plans to launch the buoy when the weather allows. Verizon has a good data program for nonprofit organizations and we now have an account with them for the buoy Hinchinbrook Entrance Wind and Wave Extremes Objectives: Based on research conducted on the behalf of the Council, we know weather conditions reported at Hinchinbrook Entrance are greatly underreported. A number of oil tanker safety related decisions are based on the weather reported at the Entrance, more specifically the weather reported by the NOAA weather buoy at Seal Rocks. The Seal Rocks buoy is somewhat sheltered in its location, a nod to its continued survival in this extreme environment. Obtaining accurate weather data for the Entrance has been elusive and potential solutions like the X-band radar WAMOS system expensive. This project proposes to formulate a probability distribution applicable to a risk analysis of wind and wave conditions at Hinchinbrook Entrance using: All known local weather measurements to probability calculation. Hindcast analysis possibly using the USACE hindcast database ( Digitized historic isobaric charts (weather maps, every 3-6 hours for 30+ years) as input to model winds, wave growth, and wave propagation affecting the site. Page 11 of 20

12 A full implementation of the North Pacific modeling system. The USACE hindcast database may be a good basis for initial efforts. Selected historic extreme weather events. Considers historic surface pressure maps to model wind and waves generation. Accomplishments since last report: Tetra Tech of Vancouver, Canada was selected for this project. A contract has been finalized with them and they have started work on the project Cape Hinchinbrook Weather Surveillance Objectives: Working cooperatively with the Prince William Sound Science Center, this project seeks to provide improved observations of weather and wave conditions seen at the Hinchinbrook Entrance to Prince William Sound. The primary focus of this effort will be the eastern portion of the Entrance that encompasses the established vessel traffic lanes that pass by Cape Hinchinbrook. It is proposed to install an X-band (8.0 to 12.0 GHz) wave radar, upland weather station and supporting equipment at Cape Hinchinbrook. This equipment will be used to measure the spectra of wave height and direction on the water at the Entrance and provide observations of standard meteorological variables, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure at the Cape. A subsurface moored wave gauge will be installed to ground truth the radar observations. Power to the equipment installed on the uplands will be provided by solar panels and a wind generator. Data generated by the equipment will be telemetered out via cellular modem link to the Naked Island communications site. Collection of weather data affects the safe navigation of vessels and aids the ability to prevent, respond to, contain and clean up an oil spill. This project supports the Council s mission by providing the organization with the best scientific knowledge on weather in the region to help make informed decisions and comments that are scientifically justified in an area of spill response where there is a significant data gap. Accomplishments since last report: Funding has been provided by the Board in this fiscal year to better detail project equipment requirements, develop operational standards, better determine costs and secure required permits for the installation. We have been talking to the Coast Guard concerning the project and the possibility of installing our equipment at Hinchinbrook Light. We have been given preliminary guidance on how to proceed with a permit application. We have asked Admiral McAllister of District 17 for his support in the permitting process. Talks have also occurred with the Forest Service concerning a land use permit that have been positive. We submitted a revised version of this project for the long-range planning process that breaks it into three separate phases Oil Spill Response Operations Program Objective: The Oil Spill Response Operations Program encompasses monitoring and reporting on the activities related to the operational readiness of the oil spill response personnel, equipment and organization of the TAPS shipping industry. The program also encompasses monitoring actual oil spill incidents within our region and evaluation of overall response readiness. Additionally, the program includes the planning and implementation of PWSRCAC s Incident Response Plan. Accomplishments since last report: Staff continues to spend significant time and effort engaging in the Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO)/Crowley Maritime transition. Recent highlights related to the ECO transition include: Page 12 of 20

13 o o o o o A number of PWSRCAC volunteers, staff, and Board members visited the ECO shipyards in October and November to look at both escort and general purpose tugs. Staff member Roy Robertson was able to attend some ECO crew training at the end of October/early November. Robertson noted that ten future crew members participated in the prevention and response training during the first week and that four tug captains participated in simulator training the following week. Robertson additionally noted that students seemed to benefit from and enjoy a continued SERVS subject matter expert presence. Robertson is expected to travel to the Gunderson Marine shipyard in Oregon where barges are being constructed to observe the launch of the second barge on December 16 th. Alyeska has continued their transition related informational updates via their Participant Team Meetings. ADEC recently initiated a workgroup effort as well, with the goal of creating more of an open forum approach to identify and work transition related topics not covered in this other venue. 0PWSRCAC s own in-house transition meetings involving staff, contractors assisting with the transition, volunteer technical committee members, and Board members. Contact a staff member for more details on this semi-regular meeting. Annual Fall F/V training took place in Cordova on September 18 to 25. There were two blocks of training to accommodate the large vessel count of Cordova (not to mention two sessions in the spring as well). A nearshore exercise took place after training ended as well and was attended by staff member Roy Robertson. A real spill event took place at the VMT. The spill was discovered in the late morning of September 21, and a response was immediately activated, to what at the time was an unknown quantity of crude oil. Alyeska quickly identified the source as the berth 5 firewater system. Crews were using this system to apply pressure to the Berth 5 loading arms in order to complete what is an annual USCG regulatory requirement for pressure testing these lines. This pressure essentially forced residual pipe clingage to drain back out of the firewater system, and water intake below the berth. Actual spill amounts will likely never be known considering what was spilled was pipe clingage, but the estimate currently stands at approximately 100 gallons. Alyeska estimates that breaks down to about 26 gallons recovered from Port Valdez via skimming operations and the remaining 74 gallons recovered from the void space between the seawater intake pump housing and casing pipe. It s important to note too, that these numbers do not account for or include the oil contained in solid waste materials. There were shoreline impacts with the spill, and SCAT work on September 25 showed some rock staining, but no additional shoreline clean-up was recommended. The only exception to this was in the VMT fire water intake area. This vicinity had the greatest concentration of sheen from the release, and a light sheen was still seen being released from the rip-rap rocks of the fire water intake area during the SCAT survey. The area was fully boomed with real booms, and then sorbent booms on the inside these to catch any of this sheen. This boom has since been removed. The berth was reopened on the evening of September after verifying the fire water system worked, decontaminating oiled tugs and line boats, and decontaminating the berth structure. PWSRCAC staff members Jeremy Robida and Austin Love, spent a significant amount of time in the command post observing, and believe that, as a whole, actions and decisions were appropriate. The last crude to water event was in 1994 with the Eastern Lion tanker spill in Port Valdez. This was a spill of approximately 8,400 gallons of crude. Following the Berth 5 oil spill event, there has been renewed effort to polish and finalize PWSRCAC s Incident Response Plan (IRP). The IRP provides guidance on how staff would respond to a large event, how staff s day-to-day roles would morph into response duties, and how information would flow internally and externally from the Council, among other things. The IRP Page 13 of 20

14 was fairly close to completion prior the event, and this helped re-energize those efforts. Every event will be unique and staff was able to use parts and pieces of the IRP with Berth 5 monitoring and reporting efforts Fishing Vessels Owners Representative Meeting Objective: Because the VMT and Tanker contingency plans rely so heavily on the contracted vessel fleet, PWSRCAC works diligently to monitor the many facets of the program and attempts to conduct at least one project per year related to the program. For FY2016, earmarked monies were used to fund a fleet representatives meeting in order to dialogue with those directly involved in the program, and some analysis on crewing numbers was envisioned. Past drills have highlighted that crewing may be limited in the PWS response system, and it is vital that sufficient numbers of pre-trained crew members are available on a year-round basis. Accomplishments since last report: The meeting with fleet representatives typically takes place in the winter timeframe, and for that reason, there has been no movement on this project. Staff anticipates an early March timeframe similar to previous fleet representative meetings Preparedness Monitoring Objectives: PWSRCAC's Drill Monitoring Project falls under a broader program called Oil Spill Response Operations. Objectives for the 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 trainings in the EVOS region; to provide citizens, regulatory agencies and responders (Alyeska and the shippers) with independent observations and recommendations to improve preparedness; and to provide citizen oversight. Targets of the Drill Monitoring Project included: Monitor and report on regular oil spill drills and training exercises at the Valdez Marine Terminal and throughout the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill region to citizens, the Board, industry, and regulatory agencies. Provide quarterly recommendations to the PWSRCAC Board of Directors. Keep PWSRCAC's standing committees (OSPR, TOEM, POVTS, IEC & SAC) informed. Produce an annual report on effectiveness and progress of the regularly monitored drills. Continue developing and implementing staff training for drill monitoring. Recent Exercises: Shotgun Cove Sensitive Area Protection Deployment December 1, 2017 SERVS deployed sensitive area protection boom tactics in Shotgun Cove near Whittier on December 1 st. PWSRCAC staff were involved in the long-range plan workshop so Steve Russel of 152 Degrees West Environmental Services was contracted to observe and report on this exercise. Port Valdez Boom Deployments October 12 and 13, 2017 SERVS deployed boom tactics around the State Ferry dock, Crowley Fuel dock, and the entrance to the Valdez harbor on October 12th and 13th. Polar Tankers / ConocoPhillips Annual Shippers Exercise October 2-6, 2017 ConocoPhillips and Polar Tankers with the help of Alyeska conducted the annual Prince William Sound Shipper s exercise in The scenario for this exercise was a tanker collision with a barge near Point Freemantle resulting in a spill of 241,000 bbls. Cordova Nearshore Operational Readiness Exercise September 28, 2017 Page 14 of 20

15 SERVS conducted a nearshore response exercise in Simpson Bay on the day after the fall fishing vessel training was concluded. This exercise focused on using Tier I vessels to deploy current busters and live deflection tactics. In-situ Burning Heli-Torch Exercise August 24, 2017 Staff member Jeremy Robida participated in the SERVS In-situ burning exercise and training conducted at the SERVS Valdez Emergency Operations Center and the Valdez airport. Barge Port Valdez Deployment August 15, 2017 SERVS conducted a deployment with the Barge on August 15. This deployment was used for training and a demonstration of the equipment for some Edison Chouest Offshore representatives who were in Valdez. Upcoming Drills and Exercises: No exercises have been announced recently Response Optimization Analysis Objectives: While a response gap analysis considers how often a response would be prevented by environmental conditions, a response capacity analysis considers the potential impact of environmental conditions and other factors on the overall effectiveness of the response. In other words, the response gap focuses on how often a response could (or could not) be mounted, while response capacity focuses on how much oil could potentially be recovered. The purpose of the project is to provide new insight into the response system in Prince William Sound and the potential impact of a range of enhancements to that system. A goal of the response optimization analysis is to illustrate the maximum potential oil recovery at one or more locations along the Prince William Sound shipping route, and how changes in winds, waves, water temperature, or daylight/darkness would impact recovery estimates. Other factors can be considered as well such as changes in the type, quantity, or location of equipment or delays in mobilization or deployment. This analytical approach incorporates an oil weathering model with information about the ability of identified response forces to contain, collect, and store oil. The analysis would be based on Prince William Sound-specific information about response equipment, response bases, and environmental conditions. The analysis will use a software program called the Response Options Calculator (ROC) that was developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accomplishments since the last report: Peer reviews were conducted on Nuka s February 2017 report entitled Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Optimization Analysis. The reviews were done by Kristi McKinney (BSEE), Hans Petter Dahlslett (DNV-GL) [VIEWED HERE], and Dean Dale (Genwest) [VIEWED HERE]. The peer reviews were supportive of the work Nuka has done and validated Nuka s analysis Port Valdez Circulation Study Objectives: Obtaining data on how oil would move and behave in Port Valdez would improve the planning, decision making, and response to an oil spill within the Port. This project uses four different types of drifter buoys drogued at different depths to study surface and subsurface circulation patterns (and at three different times of the year) in order to better understand how spilled oil would be transported in Port Valdez. This data will help increase understanding of how surface oil would behave, and provide a better understanding the potential fate of dispersed oil. Accomplishments since last report: Staff had anticipated that the final paper concerning the Port Valdez circulation project results was going to be ready by now, but it has taken longer than expected to analyze data. Staff has had an opportunity to review some of the draft materials, and edits were pushed back to the principal researcher for incorporation in mid- November. Staff expects to receive remaining materials soon, and again will edit in-house, pass suggestions back, Page 15 of 20

16 and work with the principal researcher to tune up the report for OSPR committee review prior to Board review Fishing Vessel Program Communications Research Objective: Robust and functional communications among responders are essential for a wellcoordinated response or training event. The 400+ locally contracted vessels relied upon to conduct a response will need to speak among themselves and up the chain of command to platforms such as the barge which would serve as a mobile command post, and perhaps even to in-town IMT personnel or other resources. Standard VHF marine radios alone cannot support the sheer number of vessels and SERVS has been relying on both VHF and CB radios, as well as some cell phone usage, for on-water communications related to response operations. Program participants have voiced criticism over the CB radios noting they are outdated and problematic and cannot be relied upon. Cell phone service, while getting better, is simply not available in all parts of PWS. Project monies will be used to hire a contractor tasked to explore vessel communication themes in a whitepaper, and suggest enhancements to the current communication norms. The paper will focus strictly on auditory styles of communication (radios, cell phones, etc) versus more visual communication such as the use of AIS to track. Accomplishments since last report: Work on this project has not yet started Maritime Operations Program Objectives: This program reviews port organization, operations, incidents, and the adequacy and maintenance of the vessel traffic system, and coordinates with the Port Operations and Vessel Traffic (POVTS) Committee. Major program components include participation with the Valdez Marine Safety Committee (VMSC), monitoring changes to the escort system, reviewing Best Available Technology documents for the escort system and the Vessel Emergency Response Plan (VERP), participating in the monthly SERVS/PWSRCAC communication meetings, monthly ADEC/PWSRCAC communications meetings, and supporting maintenance for the NOAA weather stations Alyeska/SERVS Marine Services Transition Objectives: A change is underway with the contractor that provides marine services for SERVS (Ship Escort/Response Vessel System). Crowley Marine Services is being replaced by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). Alyeska Pipeline Service Company signed a contract with Edison Chouest Offshore effective on August 5, Alyeska has started its transition effort and ECO is scheduled to complete its takeover of the marine services contract in July of The Council will need to evaluate what equipment and personnel standards are being proposed and offer our expert opinion on their effectiveness to Alyeska and our regulators. This transition represents a significant shift in current vessel design and capability. Additionally, there will be new personnel working within the existing escort and spill response system that are unfamiliar with operations in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. The changeover of contractors will pose many opportunities and challenges in our effort to prevent spills or damage from oil tanker accidents. The current escort and spill response system will be reviewed for potential gaps in coverage. An initial evaluation of Best Available Technology (BAT) improvements that should be part of the incoming fleet and personnel qualifications was been completed. There will be an ongoing effort to examine and evaluate implementation of spill response and recovery equipment and personnel to ensure they meet BAT requirements set forth for optimal protection of the environment from loss of containment incidents. Page 16 of 20

17 The Council has retained three groups of highly qualified subject matter experts to assist us in evaluating equipment, personnel and practices put into use through this change in contractors. They are Nuka Research Group, Robert Allan, Ltd. and Little River Marine Consultants. Accomplishments since last report: Staff working with our volunteers and contractors have completed a number of tasks since the last meeting of the Board in September of One significant effort entailed putting together the Board Workshop in November to help develop a policy related to operations and training in rough weather at Hinchinbrook Entrance. Other notable completed and ongoing efforts include: Review and development of recommendations for a seakeeping analysis of the general purpose and escort tugboats provided by Alyeska/ECO. Evaluation of the vessel Ross Chouest serving in the role of sentinel tug at Hinchinbrook Entrance. Review of the ECO Train-the-Trainer Program curriculum and observation of the actual training conducted. In November, two groups representing the Council had the opportunity to visit the ECO facilities in Louisiana. These visits included tours of the company s training center, North American Shipyard, vessel service infrastructure at C-Port in Port Fourchon, and Gulf Ship in Gulfport, Mississippi. Volunteers and staff were given unfettered access to ECO staff and asked a number of questions about their operations. Development of formal recommendations for crew training and vessel modeling standards to be used in support of the marine transition effort. Prepared a report detailing the actual weather conditions oil tanker operate in while transiting the Sound. This effort highlighted the fact that at least one laden tanker departs through Hinchinbrook Entrance during closure conditions. Participation in a work group chartered by ADEC to better resolve issues arising from the introduction of a new marine services contractor. Staff will continue to advance our efforts and address concerns with the transition process as it progresses. We are focusing on crew qualifications, training standards, vessel commissioning and sea trials, adoption of Contingency Plans and an update of the Vessel Escort and Response Plan (VERP) being conducted by the Response Planning Group (RPG) Environmental Monitoring Program Objectives: The Environmental Monitoring Program encompasses site-specific and region-wide monitoring activities and supports PWSRCAC projects in this subject area. An annual Environmental Monitoring Program workshop is held each year to assess the state of PWSRCAC s Program 900 and associated projects as a whole, to evaluate them for improvements, to prioritize work efforts, and to review for keeping in accord with OPA 90 directives, etc. It also provides the SAC members with information about the program and its projects in advance of the annual fall long range planning process. The annual Science Night budget is included under this program. Accomplishments since last report: We had a great, successful Science Night on November 30, including volunteers from Cook Inlet RCAC. Getting a presentation from Sue Saupe added even more to the evening Long Term Environmental Monitoring Program Objectives: As mandated by OPA 90, PWSRCAC initiated its Long Term Environmental Monitoring Program (LTEMP) in The direction from OPA 90 is to devise and manage a comprehensive program of monitoring the environmental impact of the operations of terminal facilities and crude oil tankers while operating in Prince William Sound. The LTEMP study design requires continual Page 17 of 20

18 sampling, as long as oil flows through the pipeline. A reduced sampling frequency for LTEMP began in FY2010, as provided for in a new sampling plan accepted by the Board at its January 2009 meeting. It requires one sampling session per year at the two Port Valdez sites and the Knowles Head site. Then, every fifth year all 10 sites will be sampled. Accomplishments since last report: SAC and the LTEMP Project Team have been following up on planning and related activities for the 2018 sampling season Marine Invasive Species Objectives: Non-indigenous species (NIS) plans call for supporting the green crab and tunicate monitoring networks in our communities; a continuation of reviewing ballast water treatment technologies and regulations; commenting on local and national NIS regulations, including support for legislation establishing an Alaska Council on Invasive Species or a similar process, and to consideration of more baseline research if grant opportunities (such as the past partnership with USF&WS) present themselves. Accomplishments since last report: Vessel Incidental Discharge Act legislation at the federal level (VIDA) continues to remain in flux. Recall that if passed in current form, it would eliminate EPA oversight of ballast water regulation and transfer all oversight of ballast water regulation to the USCG which would likely eliminate ballast water exchange, reporting, and treatment requirements for TAPS tankers. However, staff has managed to get those issues addressed in the current version of the legislation Dispersants Objectives: This project provides for continued monitoring of research and regulatory issues regarding dispersants. For many years, PWSRCAC has been pursuing answers to questions surrounding dispersant effectiveness and toxicity in the cold waters of our region. This pursuit has led to a number of studies on subjects including swirling flask laboratory testing, photoenhanced toxicity, test tanks, re-surfacing of dispersed oil, dispersants policy and other related subjects. Accomplishments since the last report: At its August 29, 2017 meeting and the October 11 EMP Workshop, the Scientific Advisory Committee discussed this document originally developed by Dr. Merv Fingas as summarized, reviewed, edited and formatted by Elise DeCola. Work has also started on the development of an ecological risk assessment/environmental tradeoffs document for a PWS dispersants use scenario. A draft was available for initial discussion at SAC s December meeting. The committee agreed to hold some project team meetings to work on the draft. Our work continues to be on the review of topics under the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) Panel State-of-Science for Dispersant Use in Arctic Waters Initiative. The next (and final) topic under review is to be Public Health and Food Security. The most recent comments were on the topic of Eco-Toxicity and Sublethal Impacts as developed by Dr. John Wise. They were submitted May 25, 2017 following SAC s review Hydrocarbon Toxicity Objectives: The Hydrocarbon Toxicity Project purpose is to research and address the gaps in knowledge regarding chronic toxic effects of oil, dispersed oil and in-situ burn (ISB) residue under study conditions closely approximating the marine waters in PWSRCAC s region. The biggest toxicity data gap is on the chronic level instead of the acute level. This moves the project towards looking at the components that are most involved in chronic effects, i.e. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or other hydrocarbon materials causing chronic effects, or hydrocarbon Page 18 of 20

19 fractions such as water-accommodated fractions (WAF) or chemically-enhanced WAF (CEWAF). These materials could include the EPA lists of 17 or 34 PAHs, including the alkyl phenanthrenes. Project studies will need to remove the acutely lethal fractions in some way to simulate the weathering or burning process and provide the components that lead to chronic toxicity. The project may be done in two phases by initially looking at the compounds that are found in spilled oil, dispersed oil, and ISB residue (i.e. the compounds that once in the environment are bioavailable). After gathering that information and performing chronic toxicity testing on them, the project may evaluate these compounds in the dispersant/oil mixture CEWAF. This project was formed by combining the existing projects of 934 In Situ Burning, 957 Bioavailability, and 959 Hydrocarbon Uptake into a comprehensive Toxicity Project on chronic hydrocarbon toxicity in order to ensure adequate funding over a period of two to three years or more. Accomplishments since the last report: Over the summer, staff shared information about a recent EVOSTC study on herring and salmon. The Board has expressed interested in hearing more about the study and a discussion of its conclusions along with other recent research based on their longstanding interest in herring as a keystone species critical to the health of the region. Following discussions on the subject at the September board meeting, the committee added a project to address this issue The Recovery of a Subsistence Way of Life: SocioEconomic & Key Indicator Species Post EVOS Objectives: This project will use data from a recently completed ADF&G household survey as a basis for a study that will look at the socioeconomics of the post-spill recovery from a local community perspective. The study took place in 2015 (study-year 2014) in Chenega Bay, Cordova, Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Tatitlek. The survey is part of a longitudinal study (7 study years between 1990 and 2014) to examine the socioeconomic effects of the EVOS event on area communities. The study examines harvest and use of wild resources, demographics, and economics of area communities. Our project will compile the survey data and do a synthesis examining areas such as post-spill economics and recovery in area communities, as well as if there was a social disruption and change in the economy of the area such as the influx of money, initially after the spill, and then of it drying up. The survey asked residents of Prince William Sound and lower Cook Inlet communities whether they have returned to harvesting herring, halibut, and shellfish Post-EVOS. These responses will be synthesized as part of our study. The study will be designed to use controls on either side of PWS. For instance, herring stocks in Sitka and Kodiak seem to be doing fine biologically and harvests of them continue in those areas, while the herring biomass remains severely reduced in PWS. Accomplishments since the last report: None to report. This is a new project estimated to begin at the second half of the year. Page 19 of 20