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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Emergency Response ProgramNick KnowlesAlaska Emergency Response PlannerUSEPAIntroductionIm Nick KnowlesI work as the EPAs Spill Contingency Planner and as Coordinator of the Alaska Regional Response TeamIm based here in Anchorage1

RESPONSE

PREVENTION

PREPAREDNESSThere are three components to EPAs emergency response program. These are:Prevention EPA conducts inspections of facilities with potential to spill, and conducts training for local responders.Preparedness EPA works with State and USCG partners to develop response plans. Response EPA stands ready to support the responsible party and the state should assistance be required in the event of a release.

2Federal/State Planning

Spill Prevention and Response in Alaskas Arctic WatersCanada-U.S. Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum - 2010The Alaska Regional Response Team is Jointly led by the USCG, USEPA, and State of Alaska. It is has members from 15 federal agencies and ADEC, working together to support spill response and planning in AlaskaDuring a response, an On-Scene Coordinator may request the assistance of any, or all of these agencies. The ARRT facilitates that support. The ARRT also creates statewide policy to guide OSCs in planning and response initiatives, to ensure consistency across the various subareas. Examples include production of guidelines for the protection of wildlife and cultural resources, deciding whether to employ non-mechanical response tactics such as in-situ burning, and chemical dispersants, and for ensuring appropriate monitoring of for efficacy and/or adverse effects, if and when those tactics are employed. Alaska Unified Plan 4The Alaska Federal and State Preparedness Plan for Response to Oil and Hazardous Substance Discharges and Releases.

First Promulgated May 1994

Joint Plan / Statewide GuidanceFederalStateLocal

http://alaskarrt.org

For any given point on the map, there is one government spill response plan, which consists of two volumes. The first is the Alaska Unified Plan, which contains statewide guidance, policies, and response procedures, and the second volume, is the applicable subarea contingency plan. The Unified Plan is updated by the ARRT and signed by the three ARRT Co-Chairs.

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Here you see the ten Subareas, or regions as designated by state statute. Each has a Subarea Contingency Plan, or SCP, which details response tactics, procedures, and resources specific to that area. The SCPs are updated regularly by Subarea Committees, led by State and Federal OSCs, who sign the final plan on behalf of their agencies. All stakeholders are encouraged to attend their subarea committee meetings, to participate in the update process and make their concerns known, so we can address them, and make our plans better. It is also beneficial for planners and responders to meet and interact before an incident occurs, so that were not trying to establish those relationships in the midst of a spill response crisis. Subarea Contingency Plans currently under review include Prince William Sound, The Aleutian Islands, and Interior Alaska.

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6Original Plan: June 2000

Change 1: April 2010

Change 2: Public Notice in Mid-April, with Expected Completion May, 2014

Interior SCP UpdatesOf the plans currently under review, the one I am most heavily involved with is the Interior Alaska SCP. It is our goal to complete draft updates to the plan, and to solicit comments from tribes, government agencies and the general public, no later than April 15, 2014. Comments will be incorporated into the draft, which will be presented at the Subarea Committee meeting scheduled for May 20, at the Fairbanks Public Library, in conjunction with an ARRT meeting to be held the following day, at the same location. If no further updates or changes are warranted, the OSCs will sign the plan at that time. The draft plan, along with instructions for submitting comments will be made available on the ARRT website, as well as the full agenda for the upcoming Subarea Committee and ARRT meetings. *6##

Some notable HAZMAT releases the EPA has responded to in Alaska include:Alaska Railroad Derailment, December, 1999. Approximately 100,000 gallons of Jet Fuel spilled. Spill occurred 1,000 ft. from the Big Susitna River. TAPS bullet hole incident, October 2004. Approximately 285,600 gallons of crude was spilled over three acres.Pump Station One, January 2011 (no photo). Approximately 11,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from a basement pipe, encased in concrete, into the basement of PS1. No oil was released into the environment. Post Road Site, 2011. Over 204,000 lbs. of HAZMAT, including methyl methacrylate paint and toluene, in 321 55-gallon drums, and 200 1-gallon totesFukushema Nuclear Disaster, March 2011. EPA Maintains a radiation network program that includes 120 monitoring sites in 49 states, including ANC, Fairbanks, and Juneau. EPA deployed mobile RAD monitoring equipment along the Alaskan and Pacific Coasts. 78

Chena River Geographic Response StrategiesIn cooperation with ADEC, EPA has conducted a Chena River Vulnerability Assessment to determine where the greatest risks lie in and near the Fairbanks, Ft. Wainwright corridor. From this, we hope to produce the first ever inland Geographical Response Strategies for Alaska. 89

SCAT Annex for Alaska River Systems EPA Region 10 is working to create a program to create procedures, and train team-members to participate in Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Teams for inland waters in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Building on work that NOAA has done creating standards and forms for Marine Coastal SCAT, we will be better prepared for this important facet of spills to fresh water. Training for team-members is expected to start in the fall of 2014.

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QUESTIONS?Nick KnowlesAlaska Emergency Response PlannerUSEPA(907) 271-391410