KENAI, VALDEZ, KODIAK, UNALASKA, Alaska - A multi-agency team is seeking public input to guide development of Dispersant Avoidance Areas within the Preauthorization Area, as required by the Alaska Regional Response Team’s (ARRT’s) Dispersant Use Plan for Alaska. This plan was signed and enacted in January 2016 and is part of the Alaska Federal/State Preparedness Plan for Response to Oil and Hazardous Substance Discharges/Releases, also known as “The Unified Plan.” Avoidance Areas will be included in Section 1 of appropriate Subarea Contingency Plans. In the event of an off-shore crude oil discharge, Avoidance Areas will guide the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) in making dispersant use decisions. More information on Avoidance Areas and how to provide input is available on the project website: http://nukadraft.wixsite.com/avoidanceareas. A technical committee of federal and State agency personnel will review and incorporate appropriate public comments before recommending Avoidance Areas for FOSC approval.
Agencies will hold public meetings at four communities bordering the Preauthorization Area and review feedback until January 9, 2017. These meetings will feature presentations on the policy and science of dispersants, as follows:
Thursday, November 10, 2016
1:30-4:30pm
Kenai City Council Chambers
210 Fidalgo Ave., Kenai, AK
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
1:30-4:30 pm
Valdez Civic Center Ballroom
110 Clifton Ct., Valdez, AK
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
1:30-4:30 pm
Kodiak Borough Conference Room
710 Mill Bay Road #121, Kodiak, AK
Thursday, December 8, 2016
1:30- 4:30 pm
City of Unalaska Council Chambers
43 Raven Way, Unalaska, AK
Information on this process will also be shared with tribal representatives in the one-on-one room of the 26th Annual Bureau of Indian Affairs Providers Conference (http://biaprovidersconference.com/) November 30 – December 1, 2016 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, AK.
BACKGROUND
If warranted during an oil spill, the new Dispersant Use Plan for Alaska outlines an offshore zone where the FOSC may direct the responsible party to mobilize resources for chemical dispersant use, without further consultation with other federal agencies, the State of Alaska, local tribes, or stakeholders. The FOSC informs federal and State agencies of this decision and seeks their input at several stages in the process, however decision-making is delegated to the FOSC.
The designation of Avoidance Areas within the Preauthorization Area informs the FOSC that decisions to use dispersants in these areas warrant additional consideration and consultation with natural resource trustees before decisions are made. Therefore, dispersant use in Avoidance Areas would be governed by the “case-by-case” process described in Tab 1, Part 1B of the Dispersant Use Plan for Alaska, and the National Contingency Plan (40 CFR Part 300, Subpart J). This additional scrutiny ensures benefits of dispersant use outweigh risks to the environment.
The Preauthorization Area’s boundaries are based on common shipping routes followed by crude oil carrying vessels. The Preauthorization Area’s inner boundary begins 24-nautical miles offshore, corresponding with the U.S. contiguous zone, thereby excluding nearshore sensitive areas. Its southern boundary extends to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, 200 nautical miles (nm) offshore, and its northern boundary extends 100 nm north of the Aleutian Island chain. The Preauthorization Area continues to the shoreline at two points: Cape Suckling and Cape Sarichef.
Detailed information about the Dispersant Use Plan and Avoidance Areas is available online at: http://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/plans/uc/Annex%20F%20Appendix1(Jan%2016).pdf. Questions may be directed as follows:
Regarding the Dispersant Use Plan and meeting agendas:
Cook Inlet, Kodiak Island, Bristol Bay, & Aleutian Island Subareas-
LCDR Matthew Hobbie
US Coast Guard Sector Anchorage
Chief, Contingency Planning Force Readiness
(907) 428-4111
Matthew.M.Hobbie@uscg.mil
Prince William Sound Subarea-
LT Jason Scott
US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez
Planning Department Head
(907) 835-7216
Jason.R.Scott@uscg.mil
Regarding meeting logistics or comment submission contact:
Mark Janes
Nuka Research and Planning
Senior Project Manager
(907)299-3224
mark@nukaresearch.com
Written comments are public records and will become publicly available. The ADEC, USCG, and EPA comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you require special accommodations to participate in this process, please contact Natalie Wolfe at (907) 269-0291; dial TDD Relay Service at 1-800-770-8973/TTY; or dial 711 to ensure accommodations are provided.