Support lawmakers for escort tug efforts
COMMENT: Sorry, friends, this turned out to be a rather longer "comment" than usual. You may just want to skip to the article. Maybe not even that!
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is a friend of Alaska's oil and gas industry. That hasn't stopped her championing the world's best tankering protocols in Prince William Sound, the site of the tragic Exxon Valdez disaster of twenty years ago.
Most of the oil brought into the refineries in Puget Sound comes by tanker from Alaska down the west coast of British Columbia and through the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Tanker activity in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca is governed by another laudable set of protocols. These limit the size and frequency of tankers as well as construction standards - double hulls, with redundant propulsion and steering.
On either side of British Columbia waters, our own waters are somewhat protected by US legislation. Within BC waters, it's another matter.
Instead of tanker standards, we have in place the Tanker Exclusion Zone (TEZ), a voluntary agreement (ie, non-enforcable) by the operators of tankers travelling south from Alaska. Its intent is to keep these vessels well offshore until they start heading into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Generally, the TEZ is respected, but monitoring is a challenge (some vessels don't keep their remote locating devices operating, and Canada does not have in place any air or seaborne oversight of the TEZ).
The TEZ only covers tankers, and has no applicability to other vessels, carrying other cargo which itself may or may not be dangerous, and all of them configured with their own huge fuel tanks.
When a spill does occur, either side of the TEZ, BC will discover "how woefully unprepared," we are to deal with it. Those are Sen. Murkowski's words to the US Senate.
The only dedicated rescue tug capable of dealing with marine incidents off BC's coast is based at Neah Bay in Washington State. So we rely on "tugs of convenience" - tugs which may be in the vicinity, virtually all of which will be busy with their own cargo/tow operation.
The TEZ line is designed to keep tankers far enough offshore that a rescue tug from Anacortes or Neah Bay could get to it, before the ship grounds. In the case of Langara Point, on the northeast corner of the Queen Charlotte Islands, that's estimated to be 54.5 hours, and the TEZ is 100 miles to the west. The problem is, however, that the "model" is hugely imperfect - that given the extremes and vagaries of weather and of the behaviour and condition of the distressed tanker, that a tug could get to the tanker in time, or that it could provide any remedy.
So Alaska and Washington State are doing their bit, and showcasing the "best of" practices for shipping oil by sea.
Now, with Enbridge's proposal to start shipping bitumen from the tar sands by tanker, to import condensate, and Kitimat LNG's proposal to export natural gas in LNG vessels - all of this via Douglas Channel, Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance, how is our readiness to take on the challenges?
First, of course, is the "no tankers" campaign - to push the federal government to declare BC's north coast as a zone in which tankers are not permitted, not in any direction.
Hold on, you say, we have a tanker moratorium in place. Well, that's become an arguable point, and most of the power, as usual, is with those who are arguing that we don't have a moratorium.
Government and corporate behaviour on the tanker moratorium is disgusting, given how self-serving it is. Until 2006, it was explicitly accepted by the federal government that a tanker moratorium did exist on BC's north coast and had done so for thirty years. But then Enbridge came along with its Gateway Pipeline proposal, and suddenly, the story changed. In a letter dated July 11, 2006, the lawyers representing Enbridge stated that "there is in fact no restriction on the movement of tankers into or out of Canadian ports."
And since then federal and provincial politicians, as well as any corporations with an interest in the subject, have echoed Enbridge's lawyer (whose name, as a matter of curious coincidence, happens to be Richard Neufeld, but not the former BC Energy Minister and now sucking up the big bucks in Ottawa as a Senator.)
They may win this argument, although they will have a hell of a fight. Northern Gateway may yet prove to be economically viable - though time and global politics and climate change may help impede the project, as it has once already, and project approval may be granted - though various legal, environmental, and science-based evidence and arguments will be thrown in its way. One day, the project may go ahead.
Then what?
Are ship construction and operation protocols similar to those in Prince William Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as good as we can get it? Can we even get that? Here are some of the main items:
- double hull tankers (actually, these all they build for oil these days)
- redundant propulsion and steering
- double escorts out of Douglas Channel into Hecate Strait
- double escorts up through Hecate Strait and out of Dixon Entrance
- rescue tug(s) stationed at one or two locations on on QCI
- fully equipped spill response station (such as Burrard Clean has in Burnaby) installed in the area
The first permanent rescue tug on the north coast will lead to tanker owners demanding removal of the TEZ - so that would immediately lead to an increased risk of disaster along the entire coast.
As good as all of that is, it would still leave a magnificent coast vulnerable to awful and irreparable devastation, so no to tankers is an absolute and non-negotiable position.
But if we lose ...
Support lawmakers for escort tug efforts
By Stephen K. LewisCOMPASS: Other points of view
Anchorage Daily News
August 14th, 2009
 Stephen K. Lewis is president of Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council. He lives in Seldovia. |
We Alaskans have always fared best when our state leaders have put politics aside and pulled together for the common good. Examples range from the campaign for statehood, to the settlement of our Native peoples' land claims, to the effort to open up Prudhoe Bay and build the trans-Alaska pipeline.
The latest example of the spirit that has served Alaska so well is the effort by our state Legislature and congressional delegation to preserve the system of escort tugs that help protect Prince William Sound from oil spills.
Ever since the devastating Exxon Valdez spill two decades ago, each loaded oil tanker passing through the Sound has been accompanied by two escort tugs, ready and able to assist the tanker in a crisis or to begin the cleanup if the worst should happen.
But, because a key provision in federal law is about to sunset, this state-of-the-art safety system could be cut back or even eliminated altogether unless Congress acts to save it. Luckily for our state, its elected leaders have joined together in the effort to make sure that happens.
In March -- the month of the 20th anniversary of the Exxon spill -- both chambers of the Alaska Legislature unanimously passed a resolution calling on Congress to preserve the escort system. Alaska's governor followed up with a strong letter supporting the call.
In May, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich -- a Republican and a Democrat -- teamed up to introduce legislation that would require continuation of the double escorts. Rep. Don Young has been working through Democratic connections in the U.S. House to move similar legislation there.
This measure would not impose new financial burdens on industry; it would only make sure there is no relaxation of present standards and practices. It would only preserve what we have now in Prince William Sound: a world-class escort system to protect a world-class natural treasure from a repeat of the Exxon Valdez spill and the devastation it brought.
As an owner state, we have a duty to protect the extraordinary natural resources we hold in common. It is a duty that has been taken seriously by most of our state leaders over the years. All Alaskans should be proud of the latest example of our leaders once again pulling together when it counts the most.
I urge my fellow citizens of the 49th state to do as I will be doing: Supporting Sens. Murkowski and Begich, and Congressman Young, as they attempt to move this important legislation through Congress when it reconvenes at the end of this month.
excerpt from the Floor Statement for Dual Escort Vessels for Double Hulled Tankers in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Sen. Lisa MurkowskiU.S. Senate
May 14, 2009
Ms. MURKOWSKI: Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill, with my colleague from Alaska Senator Mark Begich, that will require all oil laden tankers in Prince William Sound to be ecorted by at least two towing vessels or other vessels considered appropriate by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
At 12:04 a.m. on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez, carrying over 53 million gallons of crude oil, failed to turn back into the shipping lane after detouring to avoid ice, and ran aground on Bligh Reef. Alaskans will never forget that morning, waking up to hear about the worst oil spill and environmental disaster in U.S. history and living with the lasting impacts it has had on our State and residents.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident and determined probable causes for the accident. While it determined that it was primarily caused by human error of the captain and crew, it is my belief that we had also become complacent. It had been 12 years since we had begun to tanker oil out of Valdez and there had not been an incident. However, when the spill occurred, we became acutely aware of how woefully unprepared we were. The few prevention measures that were available were inadequate and the spill response and clean-up resources were seriously deficient. The oil eventually fouled some 1,300 miles of shoreline, stretching almost 500 miles, and covered an area of 11,000 square miles.
While the captain and crew were found at fault for the immediate cause of the spill, the incident also highlighted huge gaps in regulatory oversight of the oil industry. The response of Congress to the spill was passage of the Oil Spill Pollution Act of 1990 or OPA90. The law overhauled shipping regulations, imposed new liability on the industry, required detailed response plans and added extra safeguards for shipping in Prince William Sound. Since the law took effect, annual oil spills were greatly reduced and lawmakers, marine experts, the oil industry and environmentalists credit the law for major improvements in U.S. oil and shipping industries.
Oil spill prevention and response have been greatly improved in Prince William Sound since the passage of OPA90. The U.S. Coast Guard now monitors fully laden tankers all the way through Prince William Sound. Specially trained marine pilots ride the ships for 25 of the 70 mile journey through the Sound and there are weather criteria for safe navigation. Contingency plans, skimmers, dispersants, oil barges and containment booms are all now readily available. An advanced ice-detecting radar system is also in place to monitor the ice bergs that flow off of the mighty Columbia Glacier.
Two escort tugs accompany each tanker while passing through the Sound and are capable of assisting the tanker in the case of an emergency. This world class safety system recently saw the 11,000th fully loaded tanker safely escorted through Prince William Sound. It is estimated that if the Exxon Valdez would have been double-hulled, the amount of the spill would have been reduced by more than half. While double hulled tankers are a huge improvement over single hulls, they do not prevent oil spills.
The legislation that Senator Begich and I are introducing today will maintain the existing escort system in place for all tankers. Presently, the federal requirement that every loaded tanker be accompanied through the Sound by two tugs applies only to single-hulled tankers. Even though, right now, double-hulled tankers are escorted by two vessels, federal law does not require them to be. The last single hulled tanker in the Prince William Sound fleet is expected to be retired from service by August 2012 and our legislation ensures all double hulled tankers will aways be escorted by twotugs.
Although there have been a number of marine incidents and near misses since the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989, over the past 20 years, through the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard, industry, the State of Alaska, and the Prince William Sound Citizens Advisory Council to implement the requirements of OPA 90, there have been no major oil spills. Today, as a result, the marine transportation safety system established for Prince William Sound is regarded as among the most effective in the world. A key reason for that accomplishment is, in part, because of the safety benefits resulting from having dual escort vessels transiting the Sound.
Full text of the Floor Statement for Dual Escort Vessels for Double Hulled Tankers in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, May 14, 2009
Prince William Sound Citizen Advisory Council info and backgrounder on the Tanker Escort System
Posted by Arthur Caldicott on 16 Aug 2009