CIRCAC board president honored

Hubert "Glen" Glenzer, president of the board of directors for the Cook Inlet Regional Citi-zens Advisory Council, has been honored for his work with oil spill prevention and response.

The States-British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force announced Wednesday that Glenzer would be awarded one of its Legacy 2000 Awards at its annual meeting Tuesday.

"It's a very prestigious award," said Joe Gallagher, CIRCAC's public outreach coordinator. "The State-BC Task Force is made up of some of the most knowledgeable people in the country when it comes to oil spill prevention and response. For them to recognize the work Glen has done for Cook Inlet RCAC is very significant."

Glenzer has been a member of CIRCAC, a volunteer position, since the council was created under the auspices of the Oil Pollution Act in 1990. He has served as president for the last 2 1/2 years.

"I never figured on getting an award for what was, I thought, ordinary work," Glenzer said. "My feeling is that the staff are the ones who deserve it. I was just in the position that got recognized for the work that goes on here."

The advisory council has 13 seats that represent Alaska Native organizations, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, commercial fishing interest groups, environmental interest groups, aquaculture associations, recreation interest groups, the cities of Homer, Kenai, Kodiak and Seldovia, the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak boroughs and the municipality of Anchorage.

Glenzer was first selected as the representative for Anchorage by the city's mayor in 1991, Gallagher said. He has been reappointed by a continuous line of Anchorage mayors ever since.

"During Capt. Glenzer's two terms as president, the Cook Inlet RCAC has been able to accomplish several important tasks," said Glenzer's Legacy Awards nomination letter. "His unflagging commitment to the goals of the Cook Inlet RCAC has resulted in a system that is much improved over what was in place prior to 1990."

Glenzer's efforts helped in developing a long-range plan for CIRCAC that prioritizes the council's upcoming projects.

According to Gallagher, the main areas of focus for these projects are continuing a comprehensive environmental monitoring program in the inlet and strengthening oil spill prevention and response operations.

The plan stretches out to cover the next five years.

"I like the idea of working at it," Glenzer said. "Once you get everything done, you get complacent, and complacency is your worst enemy in safety."

Glenzer, along with representatives from the marine transportation industry, environmental groups, government agencies and Native villages, met in Homer for the two-day Safety of Navigation in Cook Inlet forum in September 1999. From this forum, legislation has been proposed that requires noncrude vessels to have oil spill contingency and response plans.

He also has helped in developing geographic response strategies, which basically are contingency plans for responding to oil spills at specific central inlet sites.

"Prevention has always been the hallmark of safety," Glenzer said. "If you're cleaning up afterward, you've let the horse out of the stable and it's too late. The way to keep the environment clean is to prevent it from getting dirty."

Glenzer brings more than 30 years of military experience as a retired U.S. Navy captain to his position with CIRCAC. He also has held several public sector positions in Alaska, including deputy commissioner, Northern Region, of the Alaska Department of Transpor-tation and Public Facilities, the director of Public Works for Anchorage and director of the Port of Anchorage, that add to his expertise in safety, management and transportation issues. He has used his unique background to advocate improved safety and operating standards for the oil industry in Cook Inlet.

"I'm an old son-of-a-gun, and I still have dreams and aspirations. As long as I can keep working toward those, I'm not going to put a foot in the grave."