Notice of Public Comment Period for Proposed Revision of the Arctic and Western Alaska Area Contingency Plan

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard are seeking public input on the proposed revision of the AWA ACP Version 2018.1.  The revised AWA ACP Version 2018.1 represents a coordinated and cooperative effort by government agency planners to provide information applicable to a pollution incident response within the Western Alaska Captain of the Port Zone.  The public review period is from August 23 to September 24, 2019.

The plan is available for review on the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s website at:

https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/.

You may comment on the draft plan by submitting written comments to: Clara Crosby, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK  99501, and by electronic mail at decsparplanning@alaska.gov.  Comments may also be submitted through the Alaska Online Public Notice System by access this notice on the system and using the “comment” link.  The comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. on September 24, 2019.  Written comments received are public record subject to public inspection.

A webinar is scheduled on September 5, 2019 to provide an overview of changes to the ACP.  The webinar will be held on 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  A one page flyer, with instructions on participating in the webinar will be available at https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/awa-acp-review/.  Any discussions during the webinar will NOT be considered as public comments for purposes of changes to the AWA ACP. 

You may also submit written questions relevant to the proposed AWA ACP revision to DEC by electronic mail at decsparplanning@alaska.gov or by sending the questions to Clara Crosby, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK  99501.  The written questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period.  The Department of Environmental Conservation will aggregate its response to similar questions and make the questions and response available at https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/awa-acp-review/.  The Department of Environmental Conservation may, but is not required to, answer written questions received after the 10-day cut-off date and before the end of the comment period.

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 Theresa Zimmerman at (907) 465-6171 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to September 6, 2019 to ensure that necessary accommodations can be provided.

After the public comment period ends, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard will either adopt the proposed changes without further notice, or decide to take no action.