Action to Engage Citizens in TAPS oversight

**UPDATE** 

Take action and stay up-to-date with all TAPS news and oversight efforts by visiting our new TAPS clearing house website! Please go to: www.akpipelinesafety.org 

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CRWP worked with Cascadia Wildlands to host a kick-off workshop in Valdez, March 10-11, 2009, at the Valdez Civic & Convention Center. 

Workshop participants met over the course of two days to develop a list of stakeholder concerns regarding TAPS, strategies for engaging citizens in TAPS oversight, and a list of action steps to be taken to engage citizens in the oversight of TAPS.

The following presentations were also included in the workshop:

• Gabe Scott, Cascadia Wildlands Project, review of Alyeska Contingency Plan provisions for the Copper River drainage;
• Dan Gilson, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, review of successes of PWS RCAC;
  
• Richard Fineberg, Fineberg Research, review of maintenance and safety concerns for TAPS;
  
• Peter VanTuyn, Legal framework for citizen oversight.

Recordings of these presentations are available by contacting Kate Alexander at the Copper River Watershed Project office.  We hope to make recordings available on this website in the future. 

Following you will find notes from the workshop, as well as background materials on TAPS and Citizen Oversight.  Click on the name of the documents you want to download to your computer and downloading should automatically begin. 

March, 2009 Workshop Materials:

• Scoping document for 2009 TAPS Stakeholder Workshop
• March, 2009 TAPS Stakeholder Workshop Press Release
  
• Updated Meeting Goals and Agenda
  
• DRAFT of March, 2009 workshop notes
  

May, 2010 Workshop Materials:

• Matt Carle, Alyeska, ppt presentation
• 
  

Citizen Oversight Materials:

• Comparison table of Citizen Oversight Models
• Oil Pollution Act of 1990--link to a website that includes OPA90, the federal legislation resulting in citizen oversight.
• Prince William Sound Regional Citizen's Advisory Council white paper on citizen oversight
• Models of Public Oversight of Government and Industry--article by Richard Steiner
• Outreach Poster in support of TAPS Citizen Oversight.  This poster is designed to be printed 36 x 42 inches.  For a high resolution file of this poster, please contact Kate at CRWP.
  

Resolutions passed in support of citizen oversight for TAPS:

• Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association Resolution in support of a citizen oversight council. 
  
• Copper Country Alliance Resolution in support of a citizen oversight council.
• Copper River Watershed Project Resolution in support of a citizen oversight council. 
  
• Cordova District Fishermen United Resolution in support of a citizen oversight council.
• Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association in support of a citizen oversight council.
  

For information on how your group can pass a resolution in support of citizen oversight of TAPS, contact Kate Alexander at CRWP.

 TAPS materials:

• "Risk Assessment of Alaska Oil Infrastructure Called Flawed"- (website) Anchorage Daily News article on Alaska Risk Assessment, a state-led effort to assess risks associated with Alaska's oil and gas infrastructure. 
• Peer Review report of Alaska Risk Assessment conducted by the Transportation research Board of The National Academies--download a copy here.  Click here to link to project site for Alaska Risk Assessment. 
  
• Fineberg Research --this website includes the comprehensive work of Richard Fineberg, including in-depth reporting on TAPS.
• Opinion Paper on TAPS by James Brady, North Cape Fisheries Consulting--expert opinion on likely impacts of a spill into the Copper River.
  
• "Oil & Water"--(website) Anchorage Press coverage of Cordovans' challenge to TAPS oil spill contingency plan.
  

• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council--website that outlines the restoration and research funded by the Council since the 1989 oil spill.  Also includes information about the history of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. 
  
• The Whole Truth--website highlighting economic impacts to commercial fisherman as a result of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Also includes information about the history of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.