Legislature(2009 - 2010)BELTZ 211
03/24/2009 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB23 | |
| SB129 | |
| HJR19 | |
| SB126 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 126 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 129 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| HJR 19 | |||
| = | SB 23 | ||
HJR 19-OIL TANKER ESCORT VESSELS/OIL SPILL ANNIV
10:45:30 AM
CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of HJR 19.
ERIN HARRINGTON, Staff, to Representative Alan Austerman, Alaska
State Legislature, sponsor, said today is the anniversary of the
Exxon Valdez oil spill. There are many people around the state
who are keenly interested in HJR 19, which recognizes the spill
and supports the continued practice of accompanying each laden
oil tanker in Prince William Sound with a two-vessel escort. The
Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef 20 years ago today and
spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil. It oiled 1,300
miles of coastline, reaching as far away as Chignik which is 700
miles away. The death toll included 250,000 sea birds, 2,800 sea
otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer
whales, billions of salmon and herring eggs, and many intertidal
plants and animals. Many species are still recovering today. In
1990 Congress passed the Oil Spill Prevention Act (OPA-90). It
addresses preventing, responding to, and paying for oil
pollution. One outcome was that laden tankers with a single hull
had to be escorted by two vessels.
10:48:38 AM
MS. HARRINGTON said that is not a panacea, and the Coast Guard
studied what would have happened if the Exxon Valdez had been
double-hulled. It concluded that there would have still been at
least a 4-million-gallon spill, which would have been
catastrophic as well. Alaska also passed legislation following
the spill, so shippers now must have oil spill prevention and
contingency plans -- an exhaustive process for preventing and
responding to an oil spill. These plans are not set in statute,
but the current plan requires a two-vessel escort for all laden
tankers in Prince William Sound, single or double hulled. The
plans are reviewed every five years, and they can be amended by
the Department of Environmental Conservation but are not
outlined in law. She provided a photo of a two-tug escort. One
tug is tethered to the ship. Without it the tanker can take up
to two miles to stop in an emergency.
10:51:16 AM
SENATOR KOOKESH asked if OPA-90 will be amended to eliminate the
escorts.
MS. HARRINGTON said OPA-90 only requires single-hulled tankers
to have escorts. The last of the single-hulled tankers will be
gone from Prince William Sound by 2012 or earlier. So there will
no longer be any federal requirement for the two-tug escorts.
She noted editorials in Alaska papers, and there is interest in
pursuing legislation that would require the escort regardless of
the hulls.
SENATOR KOOKESH asked if this resolution will just send a
message to Congress to continue the two-tug escorts.
MS. HARRINGTON said yes.
10:53:22 AM
DOROTHY MOORE, Council Member, City of Valdez, said she is a
former history teacher and a life-long resident of Valdez. She
is on the city council and is its representative to the Prince
William Sound Regional Citizen's Advisory Council. She urged
passage of HJR 19. "We have 20 years of experience that worked.
I don't think we need to fix something that isn't broken. We
need to learn from the past to protect Prince William Sound for
all of Alaska."
TOM KUCKERTZ, Project Manager, Prince William Sound Regional
Citizen's Advisory Council, Valdez, said there are 18 member
entities on the council. Its mission is to promote
environmentally safe transportation of oil from the Alyeska
terminal. The system in place has done very well over the past
20 years. "We think that two tugs are very important," and on
behalf of the council, he urged passage of HJR 19.
CHAIR MENARD asked if anyone is opposing the bill.
MR. KUCKERTZ said he knows of no opposition, but the Coast Guard
would like to do a risk assessment. His group believes that that
is not needed because risk assessments tend to be biased toward
those who are paying for them, "but it can be worse than that."
The risk is determined by multiplying the probability of
something happening by the consequences -- a very small number
by a large number. The small number is the one big accident out
of the 15,000 tanker trips. So the probability of an accident is
determined to be 1 in 15,000. "The folks that want to do a risk
assessment will tell you that we don't want to use that number
because it is too large - we want to use one in a million. Well,
we know it's not one in a million."
10:57:16 AM
SENATOR KOOKESH said a lot of money has been spent since the
spill to build double-hulled tankers. What was that purpose of
that if we will continue to use two tugs? Who pays for the tugs?
"I'm all for safety but I'm really thinking that we've maybe
crossed that threshold a little bit of a ways back by saying
everybody's required now to build double-hulled tankers. I'm
sure that's a huge expense to somebody."
MR. KUCKERTZ said both tugs are paid by industry. There has
always been a single-tug escort. There can be a long discussion
regarding the merits and deficiencies of double hulls. The
double hulls lessen the release of oil with a low-energy
grounding, such as the side-swiping of a bridge by the Cosco
Busan [in San Francisco Bay in 2007], and chances are that it
would not have leaked if it were double hulled. In a high energy
grounding, such as the Exxon Valdez, double hulls could reduce
the leak by 60 to 40 percent. "But we haven't really done the
experiment." Half of the bottom ripped out of the Exxon Valdez,
and a double hull might not have done that much better. Double
hulls ride higher in the water, so the oil is under
gravitational force to leak more.
10:59:39 AM
SENATOR PASKVAN surmised that this is just a resolution because
of a federal preemption under the commerce clause.
MR. KUCKERTZ said he is an engineer not a lawyer, but he thinks
that is the case. He hopes the resolution will help make sure
Alaska's resources are protected.
JOHN VALSCO, Homer Representative, Prince William Sound Regional
Citizen's Advisory Council, said HJR 19 is not against the oil
industry. He has seen how oil tax dollars have built Homer's
infrastructures. He worked on the construction of the pipeline,
and now he and his son both fish commercially. The oil industry
has to share Alaska waters with other users. HJR 19 is a first
step in codifying using two tugs in Prince William Sound.
11:02:13 AM
JERRY MCCUNE, United Fisherman of Alaska, said he is also the
president of Cordova District Fishermen United. The groups
support this resolution. Prevention is the key. Two escorts make
everybody happy and give them the peace of mind that the tanker
can be moved or towed.
SENATOR KOOKESH asked the additional cost of the tug and what
the industry's position is.
MR. MCCUNE said he can't speak for the oil industry, but the
resolution says they are neutral.
11:03:39 AM
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report HJR 19 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There
being no objection, HJR 19 moved out of committee.
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