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Alaska Statutes.

Title 46. Water, Air, Energy, and Environmental Conservation

Chapter 4. Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Control

Section 30. Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plans.

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AS 46.04.030. Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plans.

(a) A person may not cause or permit the operation of an oil terminal facility in the state unless an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan for the facility has been approved by the department and the person is in compliance with the plan.

(b) A person may not cause or permit the operation of a pipeline or an exploration or production facility in the state unless an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan for the pipeline or facility has been approved by the department and the person is in compliance with the plan.

(c) Except as provided in (n) of this section, a person may not operate a tank vessel or an oil barge within the waters of the state, or cause or permit the transfer of oil to or from a tank vessel or an oil barge, unless an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan for the tank vessel or oil barge has been approved by the department and the person is in compliance with the plan.

(d) Upon approval of a contingency plan, the department shall issue to the plan holder a certificate stating that the contingency plan has been approved by the department. The certificate must include the name of the facility, pipeline, tank vessel, or oil barge for which it is issued, the effective date of the contingency plan, and the date by which the contingency plan must be submitted for renewal. A contingency plan must be submitted for renewal every five years.

(e) The department may attach reasonable terms and conditions to its approval or modification of a contingency plan that the department determines are necessary to ensure that the applicant for a contingency plan has access to sufficient resources to protect environmentally sensitive areas and to contain, clean up, and mitigate potential oil discharges from the facility or vessel as provided in (k) of this section, and to ensure that the applicant complies with the contingency plan. If a contingency plan submitted to the department for approval relies on the services of an oil spill primary response action contractor, the department may not approve the contingency plan unless the primary response action contractor is registered and approved under AS 46.04.035 . The contingency plan must provide for the use by the applicant of the best technology that was available at the time the contingency plan was submitted or renewed. The department shall identify the prevention and response technologies that are subject to a best available technology determination. The department may find that any technology meeting the response planning standards in (k) of this section or a prevention performance standard established under AS 46.04.070 is the best available technology. The department may prepare findings and maintain a list of those technologies that are considered the best available. The department may require an applicant or holder of an approved contingency plan to take steps necessary to demonstrate the applicant's or holder's ability to carry out the contingency plan, including

(1) periodic training;

(2) response team exercises; and

(3) verifying access to inventories of equipment, supplies, and personnel identified as available in the approved contingency plan.

(f) Upon request of a plan holder or on the department's own initiative, the department, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may modify its approval of a contingency plan if the department determines that a change has occurred in the operation of a facility or vessel necessitating an amended or supplemented plan, or the operator's discharge experience demonstrates a necessity for modification. The department, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may revoke its approval of a contingency plan if the department determines that

(1) approval was obtained by fraud or misrepresentation;

(2) the operator does not have access to the quality or quantity of resources identified in the plan;

(3) a term or condition of approval or modification has been violated; or

(4) the person is not in compliance with the contingency plan and the deficiency materially affects the plan holder's response capability.

(g) Failure of a holder of an approved or modified contingency plan to comply with the plan, or to have access to the quality or quantity of resources identified in the plan or to respond with those resources within the shortest possible time in the event of a spill is a violation of this chapter for purposes of AS 46.03.760 (a), 46.03.765, 46.03.790, and any other applicable law. If the holder of an approved or modified contingency plan fails to respond to and conduct cleanup operations of an unpermitted discharge of crude oil with the quality and quantity of resources identified in the plan and in a manner required under the plan, the holder is strictly liable, jointly and severally, for the civil penalty assessed under AS 46.03.758 , 46.03.759, or 46.03.760 against any other person for that discharge.

(h) The department is the only state agency that has the power to approve, modify, or revoke a contingency plan for the purposes of this section. The department shall exercise its power under this section in a timely manner. Except as provided in (i) of this section, it is not a defense to an action brought for a violation of (a) - (c) of this section that the person charged believed that a current contingency plan had been approved by the department.

(i) It is a defense to an action brought for a violation of (a) - (c) of this section that the person charged relied on a certificate of approval issued by the department under (d) of this section unless the person knew or had reason to know at the time of the alleged violation that approval of the plan had been revoked or that the holder of the plan was not capable of carrying out the plan.

(j) Before the department approves or modifies a contingency plan under this section, the department shall provide a copy of the contingency plan to the Department of Fish and Game and to the Department of Natural Resources for their review. The department shall by regulation establish the procedures and time limits applicable to agency review of contingency plans.

(k) Except as provided in (m) and (o) of this section, the holder of an approved contingency plan required under this section shall maintain, or have available under contract, in its region of operation or in another region of operation approved by the department, singly or in conjunction with other operators, sufficient oil discharge containment, storage, transfer, and cleanup equipment, personnel, and resources to meet the following response planning standards:

(1) for a discharge from an oil terminal facility, the plan holder shall plan to be able to contain or control, and clean up a discharge equal to the capacity of the largest oil storage tank at the facility within 72 hours, except that if the department determines that the facility is located in an area of high risk because of natural or man-made conditions outside of the facility, it may increase the volume requirement under this paragraph so that the contingency plan must be designed for a response that is greater in amount than the capacity of the largest oil storage tank at the facility;

(2) for a discharge from an exploration or production facility or a pipeline, the plan holder shall plan to be able to contain or control, and clean up the realistic maximum oil discharge within 72 hours;

(3) for a discharge of crude oil from a tank vessel or oil barge, the plan holder shall plan to be able to contain or control, and clean up a realistic maximum oil discharge as provided in (A), (B), and (C) of this paragraph:

(A) for tank vessels and oil barges having a cargo volume of less than 500,000 barrels, the plan holder shall maintain at a minimum in the region of operation, equipment, personnel, and other resources sufficient to contain or control, and clean up a 50,000 barrel discharge within 72 hours;

(B) for tank vessels and oil barges having a cargo volume of 500,000 barrels or more, the plan holder shall maintain at a minimum in its region of operation, equipment, personnel, and other resources sufficient to contain or control, and clean up a 300,000 barrel discharge within 72 hours;

(C) in addition to the minimum equipment, personnel, and other resources required to be maintained within the region of operation by (A) or (B) of this paragraph, a plan holder shall maintain, either within or outside of the plan holder's region of operation, additional equipment, personnel, and other resources sufficient to contain or control, and clean up a realistic maximum discharge within the shortest possible time; the plan holder must demonstrate that the equipment, personnel, and other resources maintained outside the plan holder's region of operation are accessible to the plan holder and will be deployed and operating at the discharge site within 72 hours;

(4) for a discharge from a tank vessel or oil barge carrying noncrude oil in bulk as cargo, the plan holder shall plan to be able to contain or control 15 percent of the maximum capacity of the vessel or barge or the realistic maximum oil discharge, whichever is greater, within 48 hours and clean up the discharge within the shortest possible time consistent with minimizing damage to the environment;

(5) for a discharge subject to the provisions of (1) - (3) of this subsection that enters a receiving environment other than open water, the time requirement for clean up of the portion of the discharge that enters the receiving environment may, in the department's discretion, be within the shortest possible time consistent with minimizing damage to the environment.

(l) The provisions of (k) of this section do not constitute cleanup standards that must be met by the holder of a contingency plan. Notwithstanding (k) of this section, failure to remove a discharge within the time periods set out in (k) of this section does not constitute failure to comply with a contingency plan for purposes of (g) of this section or for the purpose of imposing administrative, civil, or criminal penalties under any other law.

(m) When considering whether to approve or modify a contingency plan, the department may consider evidence that oil discharge prevention measures such as double hulls or double bottoms on vessels or barges, secondary containment systems, hydrostatic testing, enhanced vessel traffic systems, or enhanced crew or staffing levels have been implemented, and, in its discretion, may make exceptions to the requirements of (k) of this section to reflect the reduced risk of oil discharges from the facility, pipeline, vessel, or barge for which the plan is submitted or being modified.

(n) A tank vessel or oil barge that is conducting, or is available only for conducting, oil discharge response operations is exempt from the requirements of (c) of this section if the tank vessel or oil barge has received prior approval of the department. The department may approve exemptions under this subsection upon application and presentation of information required by the department.

(o) A holder of an approved contingency plan does not violate the terms of the contingency plan by furnishing to another plan holder, with the approval of the department, equipment, materials, or personnel to assist the other plan holder in a response to an oil discharge. The plan holder shall replace or return the transferred equipment, materials, and personnel as soon as feasible. The department shall by regulation determine the maximum amount of equipment, materials, or personnel and the maximum amount of time for which it will approve a transfer.

(p) [Repealed, Sec. 1 ch 16 SLA 1993].

(q) Except as provided in (n) of this section and in order to receive approval from the department for an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan submitted under this section, the owner, operator, or charterer of a vessel that intends to carry oil that has been transported by the Trans Alaska Pipeline System shall obtain by contract the services required in a response action from the common operating agent for the holders and lessees of the right-of-way agreement for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. The contract must contain the following provisions: (1) the common operating agent, as a primary response action contractor shall, unless services required in a response action are transferred as provided in (3) of this subsection, provide services required in a response action for a discharge or a threatened discharge of oil to the owner, operator, or charterer of the vessel while the vessel is berthed at, en route to, or transiting from the Trans Alaska Pipeline System marine terminal or traveling on waters within Prince William Sound; (2) that its coverage for any particular vessel may not be terminated by the common operating agent while that vessel is within Prince William Sound; this provision may not be interpreted to limit the department's authority to revoke approval under this section for an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan submitted by the owner, operator, or charterer of a vessel; and (3) the owner, operator, or charterer of the vessel shall accept a transfer of the services required in a response action to a discharge or threatened discharge, after receiving not less than 72 hours of advance notice and after the transfer has been approved by the federal and state on-scene coordinators. In addition to the requirements of this subsection, the department may require individual vessels to submit additional contingency plans to cover specific vessel response, prevention equipment, and procedures. Nothing in this subsection is intended to preclude the federal or state government from assuming management and control of an oil spill response to a discharge or threatened discharge from a vessel under appropriate circumstances. In this subsection, "Prince William Sound" means all marine waters within the boundary line established at Cape Puget, southeasterly to Cape Cleare, along Montigue Island to Zaikof Point, easterly to Cape Hinchinbrook, along Hinchinbrook Island to Point Bintinck, and easterly to Point Whitshed.

(r) In this section,

(1) "contingency plan" means an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan required under this section;

(2) "in compliance with the plan" means, with respect to a contingency plan, to

(A) establish and carry out procedures identified in the plan as being the responsibility of the holder of the plan;

(B) have access to and have on hand the quantity and quality of equipment, personnel, and other resources identified as being accessible or on hand in the plan;

(C) fulfill the assurances espoused in the plan in the manner described in the plan;

(D) comply with terms and conditions attached to the plan by the department under the authority of (e) of this section; and

(E) successfully demonstrate the ability to carry out the plan when required by the department under (e) of this section;

(3) "realistic maximum oil discharge" means the maximum and most damaging oil discharge that the department estimates could occur during the lifetime of the tank vessel, oil barge, facility, or pipeline based on the size, location, and capacity of the tank vessel, oil barge, facility, or pipeline; on the department's knowledge and experience with the tank vessel, oil barge, facility, or pipeline or with similar tank vessels, oil barges, facilities, or pipelines; and on the department's analysis of possible mishaps to the tank vessel or oil barge or at the facility or pipeline or to similar tank vessels or oil barges or at similar facilities or pipelines;

(4) "region of operation," with respect to the holder of a contingency plan, means the area where the operations of the holder that require a contingency plan are located, the boundaries of which correspond to the regional boundaries established by the commissioner for regional master planning purposes under AS 46.04.210 .