"Alaska oil disaster 'imminent' "....Thought this oil related article might be of
interest while we are waiting for the spudding to take place:
*****************************************************************************************
news.bbc.co.uk
BBC News
Monday, July 12, 1999 Published at 13:12 GMT 14:12 UK
An ecological disaster greater than the Exxon Valdez oil spill 10 years ago could
hit Alaska at any moment, according to senior employees of the BP Amoco
company.
The six employees - who have not been named - have written to BP Amoco's
Chief Executive, Sir John Browne, warning that "irresponsible operations" at a
major oil pipeline are posing an imminent threat to human life and the
environment.
But the man in charge of the pipe-line has rejected the claim.
"We're confident that the pipeline is safe," Bob Malone, President of Alyeska
Pipeline Service Company, told BBC News Online. "We know of no situation that
exists to make it unsafe."
The allegations - reported in London's Guardian newspaper - centre on the 1280-
km (800-mile) Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (Taps).
The employees say they fear that the 22-year-old pipeline - which carries one
million barrels of oil a day - may rupture, or that there might be an explosion at the
Valdez oil tanker terminal. Both installations are run by Alyeska on behalf of BP
Amoco, a 50% shareholder. The other co-owners of Alyeska are Exxon and Arco.
"It's not a matter of if it is going to happen, it's when it is going to happen," says
one Taps employee quoted by the Guardian.
"It's more dangerous now than it ever was, because Alyeska is being run by spin-
doctors," says another.
The letter reportedly contains allegations of falsified safety and inspection records
intimidation of workers and "persistent violations of procedures and government
regulations"
The employees say they fear a worse disaster than the Exxon Valdez spill a
decade ago, which caused terrible and long-lasting environmental damage and
cost billions of dollars to clean up.
Mr Malone of Alyeska Pipeline said he was "disappointed that these individuals
don't feel comfortable raising these issues internally. We have a variety of ways
for someone to raise a concern in this company."
"If there is an issue that someone knows about that threatens the safety of the
pipeline, we want and need to know about it," he told BBC News Online.
"The safety of our people and the Alaska environment are our first priorities," he
said.
Not the first allegations
The Guardian allegations are a blow to Sir John Browne, who has "spent two
years re-positioning BP as the 'green' oil and gas company".
In 1993, an American Congressional investigation into the pipe-line followed the
leak of complaints by so-called whistle-blowers.
Six years later, the Guardian says, safety issues raised by those "imminent
threats" have been consistently disregarded.
Alyeska's licence to operate the pipeline is currently under government review
***********************************************************************************************
.
VanGo101...Van |
