MEMORANDUM

TO: Timothy Navarre, Assembly President

Members, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

FROM: Bill Popp, Assembly Member

Tim Navarre, Assembly President

Grace Merkes, Assembly Member

DATE: August 23, 2001

SUBJECT: Ordinance 2001-19-11 appropriating $250,000 for Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council

Recent events in Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound have brought to light the need for better baseline information about water quality in Cook Inlet, increased scrutiny of oil discharge contingency plans for non-tank vessels exceeding 400 gross tons, and the hundreds of miles of oil and natural gas underwater pipelines that have been in Cook Inlet for up to 40 years or more.

As oil and gas production and exploration continues to expand in Cook Inlet, increased monitoring is justified. In addition, the system of underwater oil and natural gas pipelines continues to age with a resulting increased potential for seepage and discharges into Cook Inlet.

The Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council's (CIRCAC) staff, institutional expertise, and unique familiarity with Cook Inlet make it the best qualified organization to perform the monitoring and assessments of contingency plans and baseline water quality studies to identify subtle changes in future water quality in the waters of Cook Inlet. In doing so, CIRCAC will be able to better help protect the waters of Cook Inlet so that the citizens of the Kenai Peninsula Borough may continue to enjoy the benefits of a vibrant oil and gas industry, commercial fishing industry, and tourism industry that all rely on the continued health of Cook Inlet.