This budget item will be used to contract for independent review of non-tank contingency plans for vessels transiting Cook Inlet. The process will follow the protocols developed for reviews of tank vessel C-plans. CIRCAC is currently accepting competitive bids for a contingency plan reviewer. These funds would expand the duties of the selected reviewer.

This budget will be used to expand the pilot program that CIRCAC conducted in 2001 that collected aerial digital imagery of Cook Inlet's shorelines and will produce a database identifying shoreline geomorphology and major biological habitats in central Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. The funds will be used to continue a contract with Dr. John Harper of Coastal and Ocean Sciences, Inc. to expand this project to Chinitna Bay, Kamishak Bay, northern Cook Inlet, and a part of the outer Kenai Peninsula Coastline.

This budget will be used to continue and expand the intertidal monitoring program that was conducted through CIRCAC in 2000. The initial Reconnaissance Surveys were conducted in central Cook Inlet and identified populations of bivalves that can be monitored over the long-term. We plan to expand this program geographically, to include shorelines in northern and lower Cook Inlet as well as provide continued sample collections from appropriate sites sampled during the pilot program. These funds will be spent through a competitive bidding process (including RFP advertisements) for intertidal and hydrocarbon specialists to conduct the field and analytical work for additional Cook Inlet sites.

CIRCAC has actively promoted that an independent review of Cook Inlet pipelines be conducted that evaluates the conditions of all pipelines in Cook Inlet, while taking into account active work being conducted by industry operators. Currently, we are working with ADEC to develop a plan for moving forward. We anticipate a joint working group that will include federal, state, industry, and citizen (CIRCAC) participation that will select an independent third-party contractor for the pipeline review.

This budget will be used to continue and expand the public outreach program that has become integral to CIRCAC's successful operation. Congress set up CIRCAC to represent numerous interest groups and local governments in Cook Inlet. A major goal is combating complacency and one of the most effective ways to accomplish that is to keep the public informed about important issues related to CIRCAC's mission. These funds will be for services, obtained through competitive bid, for RFQ advertisements, graphics, printing, and distribution of informational material and costs associated with hosting at least one public forum.