Summer Activity Planned at Shepard Point

By Native Village of Eyak -July 6, 2018

The Native Village of Eyak and its contractors have begun preparatory work at Shepard Point for the oil spill response facility that will be constructed in that region.

Residents and visitors may notice some of our activities as the summer progresses.

NVE received its permit to proceed with the facility last year and has been working with a variety of experienced companies to conduct survey work, geotechnical exploration, and a series of other studies and preparation work as part of the final design process for the facility.

Surveyors for the project will be completing location markings for the proposed access road and bridges from Orca Cannery to Shepard Point. They will also complete surveys that identify and mark streams and avalanche chutes within the area.

A series of environmental field studies will be completed in the project area, to determine if there are any environmental risks and to mitigate those risks. These surveys include archaeological and bald eagle surveys.

The information gathered during this summer’s activity will be used to update permits and help with planning construction activities.

Contractors comprising the geotechnical team will be conducting minor clearing at sites along the project area to facilitate site exploration.

Oil Spill Response Facility to be built at Shepard Point

Approval from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers comes after more than 16 years of study

By The Cordova Times - October 16, 2017

An oil spill response facility at Shepard Point, a deep-water access site near Cordova, with access to the all-weather airport, has received construction approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Native Village of Eyak announced on Oct. 16.

Approval came after more than 16 years of study by federal and state agencies. The project has the support of NVE, Chugach Alaska Corp., the city of Cordova, the Eyak Corp. and Alaska’s congressional delegation, NVE officials said.

The facility was one of three such facilities outlined in a federal court approved consent decree to resolve litigation in the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Tribal leaders said that NVE took the lead in soliciting funds from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, and over the last two decades worked to design and redesign the facility to minimize and mitigate adverse environmental impacts of the project. They also said they were pleased with the Corps’ decision on location of the site as the preferred alternative, and that it is the only available site to locate a deep draft dock near Cordova that will allow for quick response to Prince William Sound in the event of an oil spill or other incident.

Once completed, the facility will significantly improve oil spill response times and allow for docking and resupply of the same type of deep-draft emergency response vessels that were employed for cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez disaster of March 24, 1989. It will allow large vessels from SERVS (Ship Escort/Response Vessel System) to dock during drills, regardless of tide.

The devastating impact of the disaster was a driving force behind the tribe’s efforts for construction of the new facility.

Bringing environmental safety to our region of Prince William Sound

by The Native Village of Eyak

After nearly 20 years of study, discussion, public comment, and plan revision, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a permit to construct the Shepard Point Oil Spill Response Facility, to help protect our land, wildlife, sealife and waters.

This decision was generated by the Exxon Valdez consent decree, which stipulated that deep water ports would be established for the three primary villages impacted by the spill – these are Chenega, Tatitlek, and the Cordova area.

To date, the other two facilities have been constructed. The Native Village of Eyak stepped forward, with support from our regional corporation and others, and began facilitating the process, so we could assure our members and neighbors that in the event of another spill, we would all be protected.

For those not familiar with the multi-year process that has led to the Corps decision, several alternative sites were studied, and significant work was performed to determine the viability of those sites, the environmental impacts and how they could be mitigated, and ultimately, what would work best to quickly deploy necessary resources in the event of a spill.

First, the port needed to be a deepwater port that did not require dredging, which is an impact on the environment, in and of itself. Shepard Point is the only alternative the Federal Government studied that fit that bill.

During the environmental studies, the Native Village of Eyak has worked to protect the environment and ensure all impacts could be mitigated. The road and response facility have been designed and redesigned to minimize impacts to fish streams, eelgrass and sub and intertidal areas.

Protection of Prince William Sound, while minimizing environmental impacts has always been our focus.

Let’s look at the positives of the Corps’ decision to place the response facility at Shepard Point:

• A recent study shows that responding from Shepard Point can save 19 more miles of coastline than other locations in the inlet

• Shepard Point allows instant response to oil spills – there is no need to wait for the tide

• The road from Shepard Point, provides access to the all weather airport in Cordova in the event additional workers or supplies are needed

• Large spill response vessels can dock at the port during drills and to bring in and take out needed equipment

• Most important to the Native Village of Eyak, we are empowered to exercise self-determination

This process has included other partners, who have been involved throughout – they are Chugach Alaska Regional Corporation, the Eyak Corporation, the State of Alaska, Federal Highway Administration, the City of Cordova and Cordova Electric Coop.

With this permit, the Native Village of Eyak can move forward with this important project and protect the region our ancestors, and those who come after us, for decades to come.