The board of directors of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council is meeting in Kenai Thurs. and Fri. Though the City of Kenai doesn’t have a seat on the council, the Kenai Peninsula Borough is represented and so every few years the city of Kenai hosts a meeting.
Robert Archibald of Homer, the council’s board president, says quarterly reports from oil companies, transporters and various government agencies such as the Coast Guard and NOAA are a big part of the meeting, but there will also be progress on the rewrite of the statewide oil spill contingency plan among other things.
"We'll see what else comes up we also know that BP is leaving and HillCorp coming in. So there'll be some discussions about that probably," he said. "But that's not a done deal yet, so there's still a lot of things in the works on that.”
Executive Director Donna Schantz says meeting in Kenai and other cities like it help forward the RCAC’s mission.
"Our role really is to involve citizen voice and decisions that impact the safe transportation of oil. And so we hear a lot of updates from industry and shippers and some of the regulatory agencies and it gives the opportunity for the the board and our volunteers," she said. "You know, the opportunity to provide input and advice and suggestions on how we can involve the citizens a little bit more in the process and how we can make oil transportation safe.”
The Prince William Sound RCAC meeting in the Cook Inlet RCAC’s front yard raises the question why there are two separate groups.
"We have completely different staffs and boards and you know, areas of operation. But we do try to find ways where we can work together on joint projects. We have done a number of them over the years and in close conversation with the Cook Inlet group," Schantz said. "I think it's a really healthy relationship and when there are areas that we can work together towards common, our common goals and common areas I think it makes it stronger.”
The meeting can be streamed live online.
