Supplement #2 to Background Report on TAPS Lease Renewal
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System: Economics
[Trans-Alaska Pipeline System: Environment]
Reports and Research Memoranda
Selected News Reports, Commentary and Testimony
August
2004
The following news articles, commentary and testimony on the TAPS right-of-way renewal proceedings provide snapshots that indicate the manner in which the renewal process transpired and the effects. Documents prepared by government agencies to justify the decision to renew the TAPS right-of-way agreements without modification will be found at the web site of the Joint Pipeline Office (JPO). The Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility's 2002 status report on TAPS, which describes salient environmental and safety issues on TAPS, suggests very different conclusions about the condition of TAPS from that reflected in the official record.
A. Prelude
The TAPS Bullet Hole Spill - Two Views (October 2001)
1.
Governor Tony Knowles, "Spill response shows
preparedness,"
Anchorage Daily News, Oct. 20, 2001, p. B8
(guest opinion).
2. Richard
A. Fineberg, "Governor overstates spill response,"
Anchorage
Daily News, Oct. 26, 2001 (guest opinion).
Unanticipated Consequences (February 2002)
3. Jim Carlton, "Shift by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Went Undetected for Two Months," Wall Street Journal, Feb. 11, 2002 (on-line).
4. Richard A. Fineberg, "Pipeline problems going undetected," Anchorage Daily News, Feb. 14, 2002 (guest opinion).
Cost-Cutting and Oversight (June 2002)
5. Sam Bishop, "Alyeska urged to trim costs: Pipeline owners call for more 'efficiency' on maintenance," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, June 12, 2002, p. A-1.
6. Wesley Loy, "Watchdog seeks more pipeline oversight, upkeep (RENEWAL: Problems are cited as new right of way is considered but are characterized as old news)," Anchorage Daily News, June 13,2002, p. A-1.
B. Lease Renewal
Hearing Testimony and Press (July - August 2002)
7. Walter B. Parker, "Testimony on Trans-Alaska Right of Way Renewal Environmental Impact Assessment," Cordova, Alaska, July 26, 2002.
8. Stan Stephens, "DEIS Testimony," Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 5, 2002.
9. Richard A. Fineberg, "Public Comment on Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Renewal of the Federal Grant for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Right-of-Way (BLM/AK/PT-02/026+2880+990, U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, July 2002) and Commissioner's Statement of Reasons and Proposed Written Determination for the Renewal of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Right-of-Way Lease (ADL 63574, July 5, 2002)," Aug. 20, 2002 (written comments submitted for the Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility, the Alaska Center for the Environment and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center).
10. Liz Ruskin, "Pipeline renewal drawing comments (LEASE Cordova residents protest at meeting, saying there is a rush to renew)," Anchorage Daily News, Aug. 5, 2002, p. B-1.
11. Wesley Loy, "Pipeline oversight has fans (OIL: Idea of citizen panel to serve as watchdog of line gaining support but opposed by oil companies)," Anchorage Daily News, August 14, 2002, p. A-1.
Agency Response (September - December 2002)
12. Sam Bishop, "Norton against citizen oversight of pipeline," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Sept. 11, 2002.
13.
Wesley Loy, "State joins feds in opposing pipeline
watchdog group
(POURCHOT: Resources chief says panel wouldn't improve regulation
much),"
Anchorage Daily News, September 17, 2002, p. A-1.
C. Interlude (Reports
from the Field, October - November 2002)
The Bullet Hole Spill Revisited
14. Diana Campbell, "Pipeline Shooting: One year later," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Oct. 4, 2002, p. A1.
The Nov. 3, 2002 Earthquake
15. Diana Campbell, "How oil pipeline officials handled the 'big one' of 2002," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Nov. 20, 2002, p. A1.
D. Lease Renewal: The Curtain Falls
16. Richard A. Fineberg and Stan Stephens, "Public's TAPS concerns ignored," Anchorage Daily News, Nov. 30, 2002 (guest opinion; annotation added).
17. State of Alaska Governor's Office, "Murkowski Joins Norton for TAPS ROW Signing," Jan. 8, 2003 (press release).
18.
Diana Campbell and Sam Bishop, "Pipeline proposal
criticized,"
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Jan. 23, 2003.
19. Stan Stephens, "Pipeline action wrong-headed," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Feb. 2, 2003 (guest opinion).
E. Aftermath
20. Walter B. Parker, "Alyeska plan should be rejected," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, December 20, 2003 (guest opinion).
21. Jim Carlton, "Alaska Pipeline Plan May Increase Chance of Spills," Wall Street Journal (via Dow Jones), Dec. 24, 2003, p. A2 (later editions: "Alaska Pipeline in Greater Danger, Executive Says," p. B4).
22. Diana Campbell, "Pipeline shutdown pinpointed: Error, faulty components halted oil flow in January," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, March 11, 2004, p. A1.
23.
Richard Fineberg, "Alaska at risk in pipeline
changes," Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, March 11, 2004 (guest opinion).