Valdez, Alaska is a town that welcomes tourists, and it has a port serving recreational and commercial fishermen, but it’s also where Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline ends.
A small suite of offices in Valdez hosts the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, which was set up after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 to provide citizen oversight and prevent future oil spills.
“Now, with constant attention and citizens letting know the federal government and industry, ‘Hey, we are here, we’re aware what’s going on, we’re aware of what the impact to our safety, and the safety of our environment and what these risks are,” said Mark Swanson, of the RCAC.
The council does scientific studies on issues ranging from oil spill response to training fishing vessels to help in the cleanup.
“The folks affected need a say in how the risks in their backyard get managed,” said Swanson.
Now new developments could link Alaska and Louisiana, as bill being considered Congress with a provision that would establish a Gulf of Mexico Regional Citizens Advisory Council, based on the one in Valdez.
“Look at what happened with that one,” said Dr. Shirley Laska of the UNO Chart Center. “That would be my answer. You need to have the vigilance, in every way you can get it. And it’s proven up here that it’s critical to have a council with a very sophisticated, technical staff and committee focusing on the specific details.”
The legislation calls for the Gulf of Mexico council to have seven representatives from each of the five states participating: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas. Members include fishermen, tourist industry members and small businesses from impacted parishes. Their job would be to monitor oil and gas industry response plans and recommend safety standards and needed improvements.
“It could have happened,” said Laska about the possibility of a BP oil spill if the Gulf Coast had had a council like the one in Valdez, “but it would have been less likely to happen.”
While Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts agrees with the need of a council, said he does have concerns.
“I don’t want to see us end up in a confrontational way dealing with the oil and gas industry, as long as they’re willing to come to the table and deal with other side,” said Roberts,” and that’s one of the concerns that you can over-regulate an industry, where the industry may no longer choose to do business.”
