IDENTIFICATION OF SENSITIVE AREAS FOR AREA CONTINGENCY PLANS IN ALASKA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires identification of sensitive areas through the area contingency planning process. In 1992, a process was begun in Alaska to identify and document information about sensitive areas that could be affected by oil spills. Sensitive areas are based on natural resources and human uses, such as wildlife habitats, land management designations, fish hatcheries, cultural resources, hunting and fishing locations, and community water intakes. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, a Sensitive Areas Work Group (SAWG) was established in 1992 to prepare the “Sensitive Areas Section” of Alaska's first Subarea Contingency Plan (SCP). The SAWG continues to identify sensitive areas for all 10 subareas of the state, covering 365 million acres of land and 47,000 miles of shoreline. The SAWG coordinates with and reviews sensitive areas identification and mapping carried out by federal and state agencies and oil spill response cooperatives. SAWG participants vary by subarea, but include federal and state natural resource trustee agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, oil spill response cooperatives, and oil industry companies. In 1995, the SAWG prepared a 5-year strategic plan with these objectives: (1) establish a process to develop and maintain sensitive areas information; (2) present, in a standard format, sensitive areas information in all 10 SCPs; (3) map sensitive areas and develop more detailed computer-generated maps; and (4) provide input to the development of detailed response plans. Results to date include: (1) establishment of the SAWG as a statewide team for identifying and maintaining sensitive areas information for spill response planning; (2) completion of sensitive areas sections for all 10 SCPs; (3) participation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in preparing environmental sensitivity index (ESI) maps/data files for four subareas and initiating work on five others; and (4) participation in the creation of over 75 site-specific response strategies prepared by stakeholder teams for high-risk sensitive areas. The cooperative process used in Alaska could serve as a model for sensitive areas identification elsewhere.