Alaska Regional Response Team Places of Refuge By John Bauer Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Alaska Regional Response Team Places of Refuge Working Group Meeting March 10 with industry, regulators, RCACs, pilot association Present guidelines for use throughout Alaska Identify process for decision making Concurrent with the PS/BC Task Force POR

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Alaska POR Guidelines Assist authorities in POR decision making Use standardized format for evaluating risks Recognize the authorities and resources of agencies, local governments, landowners Decision making guidelines separate from pre-identifying POR Include guidelines in the Unified Plan update

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Identifies jurisdiction of: US Coast Guard State Local and tribal governments Resource agencies Vessel masters

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Management Structure If time allows, COTP activates a Unified Command Provide for consultation of local and tribal governments, landowners, resource agencies If time does not allow, COTP addresses the POR request and notify stakeholders as soon as possible

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Risk-based decision-making process to evaluate the risks of the vessel, public health and the environment If the ship remains in the same position If the ship continues on its voyage If the ship reaches a place of refuge If the ship is taken out to sea

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Step by step process and checklists Master or company to provide status of ship Evaluate if ship should be offered a place of refuge Determine a specific place of refuge or grounding site Identify environmental resources at risk

ARRT Places of Refuge Working Group Process for pre-identifying Places of Refuge Local committee performs risk analysis Pre-identify potential places of refuge Include places of refuge in subarea plans

PWS Places of Refuge Scope of Work Overview Larry Iwamoto PWS RCAC

Background COOK INLET - Prior Events:  Perl Island Drill – October 1996  Barge Oregon – January 1997  PWS Tanker Drill – October 2003  Latest Updates:  9 sites pre-identified, part of Change 1 INTERNATIONAL Prestige Spill – November 2002

Cook Inlet Subarea - Places of Refuge Anchorage Drift River Nikiski Kachemak Bay Koyuktolik Bay Port Graham Port Chatham Seldovia Seward Whittier

Other Initiatives Pacific States/BC Task Force Work Group formed to address this issue Aleutians GRS development will address Places of Refuge as well Separate Initiative for Prince William Sound underway, sponsored jointly by PWS RCAC and DEC

General Criteria ● Status of the vessel● Public safety ● Vessel traffic● Prevailing winds ● Anchoring ground ● Water Depths for Anchoring* ● Environmental resources at risk ● Strategies to protect sensitive areas ● Navigational approach to the mooring site ● Available dock/support facilities ● Available skilled/spill response labor ● Economic concerns and potential impacts* *added for PWS

PWS POR Development Work Group – 1 st Meeting in May Use PWS Marine Firefighting Plan as a source document Process to be reviewed as part of pre-drill training for PWS PREP Drill Overall product incorporated as part of Change 2 to PWS SCP

PWS Northeast Zone

Project Deliverables Risk Assessment Map (draft completed) Facilitate Meetings of the PWS POR Work Group (Initial meeting, monthly meetings planned) Prepare Initial Draft Document of PWS POR for review and comment by Work Group Prepare Final Draft Document for inclusion into the PWS SCP, Change 2 public review draft

June 2004: Initial draft document to work group for review and comments; possibly applied during MATES training July 2004: Public comments solicited; comments reviewed by work group for action July 2004: Final product submitted to DEC and RCAC Project Managers. Fall 2004: Incorporated as part of Change 2 for public review Project Timeline

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS? PWS RCAC