DEC opens comment on Trident Seafoods tank vessel spill plan renewal

Comment Period Open for Trident Seafoods Tank Vessel Spill Plan

Residents of seven coastal regions have until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 27 to comment on Trident Seafoods Corporation's renewal of the spill prevention and contingency plan covering two of its tank vessels, and until Aug. 12 to ask for a public hearing.

The application, State Contingency Plan Number 26-CP-5185, covers the MV Eastern Wind and MV Sea Trader moving petroleum products through state waters in tank vessels with a maximum cargo capacity of 7,945 barrels. The affected area named in the notice spans the Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska and Western Alaska. Trident's existing plan expires Jan. 9, 2027; state law requires renewal every five years.

"DEC will hold a public hearing on the plan application if it determines that good cause exists," the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said in its notice. Comments go through the department's comment site or to plan reviewer John Ebel in Fairbanks.

Here is the part the notice does not say out loud: the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council argues preparedness depends on scrutiny of what a plan actually contains, not on the renewal cycle running on time.