Proposal suggests transition of EVOSTC to foundation

On the cusp of the 25th anniversary of the ExxonValdez Oil Spill in 2014, members of the Cordova oil spill response fleet recently participated in a regular spring SERVS spill drill in Orca Inlet. Cordova Times file, 2014

A proposal submitted to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council urges transition of the current council from government into a private non-profit EVOS Restoration Foundation.

The detailed proposal sent to the council in late September by marine conservationist Rick Steiner, who was a University of Alaska professor working in Cordova at the time of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster.

Steiner said that a transition to a non-profit foundation would remove conflict of interest, in the form of government agencies funding themselves. The council’s current six trustees all hold full time jobs in federal and state agencies.

A foundation, as proposed by Steiner, would consist of a board of directors of independent scientific advisors and staff appointed from outside of government by the U.S. District Court. While the trustee agencies currently would still be able to propose and conduct projects as they now do, they would not be in the position of deciding which projects to fund.

Steiner noted that the council has millions of dollars in its research and habitat accounts to allocate for various projects. That included some $14 million the council recently spent to buy 40,000 acres of Afognak Island, north of Kodiak Island, for about $14 million to protect those lands, after they had been clear cut.

Sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that an analysis by the Rasmuson Foundation in Anchorage of the EVOSTC current budget showed that over half of EVOSTC funds every year were spent on overhead. The Rasmuson Foundation declined to comment on the matter.

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The EVOSTC is set to meet again in Anchorage on Oct. 17. Meeting documents are to be posted prior to that meeting on the council’s website, www.evostc.state.ak.us

Elise Hsieh, executive director for the council, said in an email response to a query that she did not know whether or not Steiner’s proposal would be on the agenda.

 

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated the council bought 400,000 acres of Afognak Island, north of Kodiak Island to protect those lands, after they had been clear cut. The purchase was for 40,000 acres, not 400,000 acres. Our apologies for the error. The Cordova Times is committed to accuracy. If you suspect an error, please email news@thecordovatimes.com.

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