Alaska Pipeline Has Excellent Safety Record

After reading your article about government oversight of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), “Alaska Pipeline Regulators Were Lax, GAO Says,” (Aug. 5), we at Alyeska are concerned that your readers might regard the General Accounting Office audit as a criticism of the pipeline’s operation these past 14 years.

The record is clear on this matter--TAPS--has been an efficient, safe and environmentally sound means to transport oil from Alaska’s North Slope--one-quarter of America’s domestic production.

Since the pipeline opened in 1977, more than 8 billion barrels have moved safely with a system downtime of only 0.4%. TAPS’ record of transporting oil, despite the geological perils of the Arctic environment, including countless earthquakes, has been exceptional. To minimize problems caused by pipe corrosion, Alyeska uses sophisticated corrosion detection devices that can detect pipe wall thinning of as little as one-sixteenth of an inch.

This detection technology coupled with an effective maintenance and repair program will greatly extend the operational life of TAPS. There has never been a mainline pipe leak due to corrosion, and there has not been a leak in excess of 50 barrels from the mainline pipe in more than 10 years.

In the area of oil spill response, Alyeska’s contingency plans have been subject to greater scrutiny and more open review than any other such plans in the world.

Additional oil spill response equipment has been purchased, more containment sites have been constructed and training has been revamped at a cost of more than $175 million. Citizen advisory groups, authorized by federal and state laws, have added an important new dimension to the quality of TAPS oversight.

The GAO focused its review on pre-1990 regulatory oversight, largely ignoring the changes and improvements made since then.

JAMES B. HERMILLER

Anchorage, Alaska

The writer is president and chief executive of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.