An application package for an Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan, under Alaska Statute 46.04.030 and in accordance with 18 AAC 75, has been received by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The details are as follow:
Applicant:
Hilcorp Alaska, LLC
3800 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 1400
Anchorage, AK 99503
Proposed Activity:
Review of a plan renewal application package for an Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan that is required to commit adequate resources to meet all planning requirements for prevention and response for a realistic maximum discharge from oil exploration drilling operations at any of Hilcorp Alaska, LLC’s existing pads at locations indicated below. The response planning standard is 82,500 barrels of crude oil for a potential blowout from an exploration well and 9,666 gallons for a potential release from the largest storage tank expected to be used at any of the exploration sites.
Location:
The potential exploration areas are divided into four units that extend 57 miles along Cook Inlet from Kenai to Anchor Point. It includes multiple onshore pads located in the Kenai, Ninilchik and Cannery Loop units, and a single pad at Anchor Point (Greystone Pad) on the Kenai Peninsula. The Kenai Unit has coastal and inland pads about 4.5 miles south of Kenai and 2.5 miles north of Kalifornsky and includes pads 41-7, 14-6, 33-1, 34-31, 33-30, 41-18, and 43-32. The Ninilchik Unit extends along Cook Inlet between Kasilof to the north and Ninilchik to the south and includes pads Susan Dionne, Paxton, Grassim Oskolkoff (GO), Falls Creek, State, Abalone, Bartolowitz, Blossom and Kalotsa. The Cannery Loop Unit includes two pads, CLU-1 and CLU-3, near the mouth of the Kenai River.
Potential Results:
A potential risk exists of oil spills entering the lands or waters of the state as a result of this operation.
Activity identified as:
State Contingency Plan Number 17-CP-5216
Any person wishing to submit a request for additional information or provide comments regarding this application may do so in writing to Mike Evans, Department of Environmental Conservation, SPAR/PPRP, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501, 907-269-7541
(phone), 907-269-7648 (fax), or mike.evans@alaska.gov.
The public comment period for this application begins on October 16, 2017 and ends on November 14, 2017. Requests for additional information and comments must be received by 5:00 pm on November 14, 2017. It is the responsibility of the commenter to verify that facsimile and email submissions are received by the deadline. An additional comment period may be provided in accordance with 18 AAC 75.455(d).
Copies of the application package are available for public review at the following locations: the department's office at 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501; and at 43335 Kalifornsky Beach Rd, Suite 11, Soldotna, AK 99669; and the department’s website at http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/IPP/CPlansUnderReview
The department will hold a public hearing on the plan application if it determines that good cause exists. Residents in the affected area or the governing body of an affected municipality may request a public hearing by writing to the Department of Environmental Conservation, at the above address prior to October 30, 2017. The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need a special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact Natalie Wolfe at (907) 269-0291 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to November 3, 2017 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.