Since Cook Inlet Pipe Line Company has reopened the Drift River Oil Terminal Facility, it is time to take a moment and reflect on the response efforts undertaken to evade the threat of a potential oil spill into Cook Inlet.
As we know, the risk of Mount Redoubt eruptions affecting the Drift River Oil Terminal is not a novel concept. The volcano caused damage and flooding at the terminal nearly 20 years ago. That incident generated an intensive amount of planning and engineering resulting in a system designed to protect the terminal from flooding caused by subsequent eruptions.
It's the culmination of these safeguards and proper planning, including the use of a unified command, that played a major role in the success of this latest response. The unified command allows agencies with different responsibilities to work together effectively, and share responsibility for managing a response from a single command post.
Only in recent times has this coordinated, effective way of managing a response become common practice.
Many recall the confusion that the Exxon Valdez oil spill spawned in 1989. At that time, there was nothing set up to manage an incident of that magnitude, and inaction and misinformation ran rampant.
In the recent situation with Mount Redoubt and the Drift River Oil Terminal, the unified command worked exactly the way it was intended, resulting in a successful response to the volcanic mudflow threatening the facility. As a result, no people were injured and no oil was spilled.
Those critical of the recent handling of the threat to the Drift River facility have called the averted disaster "luck." They suggest that it was luck that the terminal's protective dike system diverted a significant amount of water running down Drift River from impacting the terminal; and it was luck that the containment system held back the substantial flooding.
Well, I certainly agree that we were lucky -- lucky that we had the level of dedication exhibited by the men and women working on the incident management team and of those working at the terminal. It was their quick thinking and hard work prior to and throughout the eruption of the volcano that undoubtedly helped keep oil in the tanks.
Due to my professional background I have been involved in many incidents and spill responses. During this incident, I witnessed an impressive display I would label "doing the right thing." I was impressed by the decision by Cook Inlet Pipe Line Co. to suspend operations solely over concerns for the safety of the employees at the terminal. As it should be, the concerns of worker safety trumped everything, including economics. I sincerely believe the driving force behind this response was worker safety.
The response managers should be commended for their efforts to keep the community informed. Our council, the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council representing the citizens of Cook Inlet, provided a conduit between the response managers and the public.
The community was updated through press releases and conferences along with the response managers participating in several community meetings hosted by Cook Inlet RCAC. Also, Cook Inlet RCAC staff worked with the incident management team and was, in essence, representing the public.
I would attest that Cook Inlet Pipe Line, the United States Coast Guard, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, who formed the unified command, did the right thing and went to great lengths to keep our council and the community apprised of the situation.
While I believe that this response was a success, I also understand that any operation is not perfect. Cook Inlet RCAC is currently reviewing many aspects of this response to find areas that can be improved upon.
We appreciate the cooperation from all involved in the response during this review as we work together to make improvements and adjustments where it is deemed necessary.
Michael Munger is executive director of the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council, whose mission is to represent the citizens of Cook Inlet in promoting environmentally safe marine transportation and oil facility operations in Cook Inlet.
By MICHAEL MUNGER