The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and the Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT) are seeking public input on the Wildlife Protection Guidelines for Oil Spill Response in Alaska (WPG), version 2020. This revision will replace the 2012 version of the WPG, which was also known as Annex G of the [superseded] Unified Plan. The WPG is a non-regulatory document developed to facilitate compliance with state and federal contingency planning and spill response requirements, and it is a reference for all of Alaska’s Area Contingency Plans. The primary purpose of the WPG is to provide guidance to oil spill planners and responders to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife. It applies primarily to wildlife species that inhabit offshore and coastal marine areas because of the potential for significant effects of oil spills in these environments, but also covers inland and freshwater wildlife. The public review period is from January 31 to March 6, 2020. Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. AKST on March 6, 2020.
The WPG and supplemental materials are available for review online at ADEC’s website (https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/); these materials can be accessed via the link in the “Currently Under Review” section.
The ADEC and ARRT would specifically like to hear about whether any information, guidance, forms, or protocols in the revised WPG are inaccurate, incomplete, unclear, outdated, or inefficient. For each issue found, we would appreciate specific suggestions or language for resolving the issue. General comments and suggestions for content to include in future revisions are also welcomed.
Public Comments:
Public comments must be written and may be submitted either by electronic mail to mike.donnellan@alaska.gov, or in hardcopy format by mailing to: Mike Donnellan, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response – Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501. Comments may also be submitted electronically through the Alaska Online Public Notice System (https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/) by accessing this notice on the system and using the “comment” link. The full contents of all submitted comments are considered public records and will be posted online.
For efficient processing and consideration of your comments, please use the commenting template provided at https://dec.alaska.gov/media/19194/wpg-comment-matrix.xlsx and follow the instructions at https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/wildlife-protection-guidelines/public-commenting-instructions/. If you do not have access to Microsoft® Excel software, please ensure your comments include all of the information requested in the instructions.
You may submit written questions pertaining to the proposed WPG revision by electronic mail to mike.donnellan@alaska.gov, or in hardcopy format by mailing to: Mike Donnellan, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response – Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501. For written questions received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period, ADEC and ARRT will aggregate substantially similar questions and agency responses and provide a single consolidated response. These questions and answers will then be made available in a Frequently Asked Questions document, which can be found at https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/contingency-plans/response-plans/public-review/wildlife-protection-guidelines/faq. The ADEC and ARRT may, but are not required to, answer written questions received after the 10-day cut-off date and before the end of the comment period.
The ADEC complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please either contact Kate Orozco at (907) 465-6171, call TDD Relay Service at 1-800-770-8973/TTY, or call 711 prior to the end of the public comment period to ensure that necessary accommodations can be provided.
After the public comment period ends, the ADEC and ARRT will carefully consider all public input and request additional information if warranted, then adopt the WPG with or without modifications. No further public notices will be given.