Contested – Why Torture Me!

I hope that the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is the first kid on the block to face the new OSHA establishment fines, effective February 2022. See, that is about the time when Alyeska’s management forgot that snow in Valdez gets very, very wet and heavy and can destroy things in its path no longer defying gravity. Like damaging roofs, and that includes roofs of crude oil storage tanks made of steel 60-feet high and 250-feet in diameter that can store away 500000-barrels of “toxic” crude oil that came tumbling down the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline from Prudhoe Bay! And because Alyeska put away the snow shovels way too early - should have known better as it has been 45-seasons of snow by now so well documented what can happen in Valdez in a few hours-time with Mother Nature - well a bunch of safety relief valves went overboard from up top from 7 of the tanks still in service. From an ice avalanche! And what that meant, drum roll please, violations of the Clean Air Act! And that according to the State of Alaska “watchdog”! So Alyeska is already in hot water, again! Yes indeed, chalk up another violation, as when there came tank breathing gapping holes in the tanks’ tops, well it released in estimate 110000-cubic-feet of vapors per hour, that includes crude oil vapor constituents like “BETX”. “B” what? Nasty things like “benzene”, cancer causing stuff thrown into the air we breathe. And at this time of this criminal act, Alyeska asleep at the wheel again just like in the Joe Hazelwood EXXON Valdez wreck, well the corporate lawyers were in “Contested” status with a law judge for a prior OSHA fine, categorized as “High” on the “Seriousness” chart in fines exceeding $40,000. Which allowed Alyeska to be in the “TOP 40”, for “Historical” OSHA “Enforcement Action”, pretty good standing considering a current list that finds over 10000 offenders! Not quite at the top, but getting closer and I am sure the lawyers trying for the last 2-years to soften the blow with this “Contested” - basically “leniency” - well wasted efforts now with another “violation” event as it may mean now Alyeska listed under the “Repeat Offender” program! But the VP of “Operations and Maintenance” responsible for that event occurring back in 2020, asleep mind you well…what Alyeska just hired her back as the CEO? Anyway, Alyeska should not be allowed to “contest” any such violations and let’s hope that with this latest fiasco, wherein the snow shovels went missing, that the “Clean Air Act” violation police finds Alyeska the 1^st to be subject to the new fines under the 2022 addendum. Better yet, besides getting more snow shovels with able-bodied workers behind the “push”, reading glasses may help but avoid breathing the air in Valdez as it appears to be fogging the Alyeska management’s brains! Wow, I just got off the phone with an OSHA agent, inquiring about that “Contested - torments my heart. Contested - keeps us apart. Contested - why torture me.” and why it is taking so long for a decision. And when I explained my calling to check in on the status of OSHA Complaint 1449993.015, which lists 36 “Violations” with 31 in the “Serious High OIS 10”, well the agent started laughing. OK, it’s Friday but! And then she apologized because she had never seen a company with that many “Violations” in a single report consistent with that “without advanced notice” inspection, because it was a “Complaint” by a whistleblower. And when I told her that the true count, based on the same location at the same time, well several of Alyeska’s contractors controlled by Alyeska were part of that same investigation. And share so the ramifications of “asleep at the wheel” just like how Joe Hazelwood was asleep in the wheelhouse when the EXXON Valdez went full stern ahead into “Bligh Reef”, all total it means a fine of $675000 and it means 57 “Serious Violations”, which made her laugh even harder! At 1^st she could not believe it, then I told her “believe it” as I once worked for that company! They don’t learn from their mistakes. It is the token “imbecile” child of “Big Oil” as Alyeska is merely an agent for companies like EXXON, and once upon a time British Petroleum and SOHIO and ARCO…”Big Oil” with lots of power especially in Alaska. So now what? More “Contested” which means more lawyer wasted stupidity. And the problem with this “Contested“ BS, well back in the 80s before the EXXON Valdez “Wreck” a small faction of dedicated workers in Valdez went concerned about the “drunk” ocean-going tanker crews that were being allowed through the Alyeska Valdez Marine Terminal “Security” without a “Sobriety Check”. And when a crew would show up in the town taxi, with a bunch of drunk slobs falling out of that cab, the workers were directed by management to help carry the drunks back abord their tanker - already filled with a million barrels of crude oil, engines at idle and just waiting for a drunk captain to take control of that steering wheel. So we protested, and after the management said be quiet and that “duty” to assist the “drunks” started to become the normalcy of the job, well enough was enough and we decided to go “Union”. It was not for the wage or working conditions we sought outside interference, it was due the fact we went tired of being an accomplice to a crime, by helping the “drunks”! Guess what, the company “Contested” the “Union” drive after we had voted to go “Union” and won that battle before the NLRB and then Joe did his deed, an environmental nightmare that had we succeeded in getting “Union” coverage - correction had Alyeska failed in that “Contesting” - that EXXON Valdez “Wreck” would have never occurred. But that is the Alyeska way, “Contest, Contest, Contest” and at it again. The sad thing, just be honest and admit you screwed up, pay the fine for doing the crime and learn from your mistakes. See, by getting off the hook, there is no “lessons learned” the reason Alyeska is still polluting the air we breathe due STUPIDITY, which can’t be CONTESTED!

Alyeska Pipeline Theme Song

(Singin harmony to the tune of the Wichita Lineman)

I am a pipelineman a whistleblower bounty hunter
As I drive that Dayville road
Sniffin' the snow for another benzene vapor overflow

I hear it sizzling in that Clean Air Act violation
I can hear it through the Bragaw St. corporate whine
And the Alyeska pipelineman CEO
Is still without PRIDE

I know I need a new snow shovel
As it don't look like rain
And if it snows that stretch down south
Oil tank vents will never stand the strain

And I don’t heed your dire warnings
And I don’t care about the air you breath
As the Alyeska pipelineman
Still finds time to hide

As I cared not Captain Joe’s boozing
As I cared not the workers that said no more
And the Alyeska pipelineman
Lives by that kill the messenger guide.

RUN LIKE HELL!

Betsy Haines, President
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Subject: Suggestion

Ever think about a new Alyeska Pipeline Service Company “motto”? Like in “Run Like Hell”? I mean Alyeska posted this “Run Like Hell” in its “Memories & Milepost” fascination back in 2007, when you were climbing your way up the corporate poop chute. Here is what your company posted:

Rod: In heavy snow years – and there were a lot – they would wash the snow off of the roofs of the Valdez OCC from the firewater system on Terminal. Roy Hansen had put a special “snow load” measuring device: it was a tape measure mounted to the ceiling in the HVAC room. It would show the sag of the roof. It had special markings every few inches, with the most extreme saying “RUN!” when we hit 12 inches of sag.
Kevin: One year, a controller went back in the server room after a typical Valdez snowstorm and the tape measure had pushed down about an inch below the shovel roof mark. They called the engineer to report it and he said, “Run like hell!” The SCADA Tech drew a new line on the wall at the bottom of the tape measure and labeled it, “Run like hell.”

But the shoe seems to fit this “Run Like Hell” sentiment some more, even a better fit today. And that is exactly what Alyeska did, “Run Like Hell” when a dedicated minority of Alyeska workers in the 80s risked their careers and livelihoods to get attention upon the drunk tanker crews that were being allowed through the Dayville Road “Security Checkpoint” at the Alyeska Valdez Marine Terminal. Yes, easy access when under-the-influence let someone else do the driving, when protected away in that Valdez town taxi bringing an inebriated crew back to an awaiting tanker filled with crude oil. Engines running, just waiting for the captain to board, or being carried aboard by Alyeska able-bodied workers called upon to assist - drop everything else we were doing to maintain the VMT, due to a crew of misfits having the luxury to indulge in a little too much booze and then allowed to set sail into Prince William Sound. Yes, a few dedicated workers that went tired of being called upon by the Alyeska management to help those drunk bastards get from the taxi to the tanker along the “restricted” loading berth’s causeway. Well enough was enough and we decided to form a “Union” when Alyeska did the “Run” away, from doing anything to STOP that free-for-all binge drinking fascination no one is looking, and then Alyeska did the “Run Like Hell” when a “Union” was staring George Nelson in the face, and that “Run Like Hell” initiated that “shoot the messenger” mandate - to go after the “Union” supporters and then Joe Hazelwood proved what happens when “Chicken Little” 5^th Floor Bragaw Street runs away from responsibility. Yes, pinch yourself that “Wreck” should have been avoided, only Alyeska is of blame, as we spoke up against it and in the end many of us found our careers silenced, for trying to STOP the drunks! But par for the course, Alyeska used that "Run Like Hell" back then, to avoid any responsibility. But getting back to that “motto” that seems to fit Alyeska every which way but loose, “Run Like Hell”! As it appears that motto is working again, with this “close call” fiasco snow load ripping off safety vents on the crude storage tanks in Valdez, a near miss YES. And I am glad to see that the ADEC is already testifying that event generated toxic emissions in violation of the “Clean Air Act”. Hey, isn’t Alyeska still contesting a major OSHA “Clean Air Act” violation, listed as “serious” from back in 2020, when you were the VP of the “Operations & Maintenance”. Way to go, good luck now that it appears Alyeska will be in that “repeat offender” category. So please consider adopting that “RUN LIKE HELL” as a motto of the corporate irresponsibility that we are seeing played out all over again, some 45-years and Alyeska is still not getting it right. I mean, a company that can’t even shovel snow should not be allowed to run a pipeline!

Mike Kelley – Silenced by the Lame

Alyeska Pipeline & Valdez SNOW!

Rod: In heavy snow years – and there were a lot – they would wash the snow off of the roofs of the Valdez OCC from the firewater system on Terminal. Roy Hansen had put a special “snow load” measuring device: it was a tape measure mounted to the ceiling in the HVAC room. It would show the sag of the roof. It had special markings every few inches, with the most extreme saying “RUN!” when we hit 12 inches of sag.

Kevin: One year, a controller went back in the server room after a typical Valdez snowstorm and the tape measure had pushed down about an inch below the shovel roof mark. They called the engineer to report it and he said, “Run like hell!” The SCADA Tech drew a new line on the wall at the bottom of the tape measure and labeled it, “Run like hell.”

See, Alyeska knew all about the "snow" and this was back in 2007! The above comments on Alyeska's very own web-site! Best call the "engineer"as the crude oil storage tanks are failing!

I guess before Alyeska moved its Operations Control Center from Valdez to Anchorage, the snow load was monitored by the "Operations". But then it appears nobody gave a rat's ass, but the company saved a lot of $money$ with that move!

Operations Control Center 

Trans-Alaska-Pipeline

CEO in live broadcast

Achievement Pipeline Service Company

 

Wow, what a Record-of-Achievement! See, the “Operator” of the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline likes being on “Top” and is getting to the pinnacle of that Special Masterbater in “environmental crimes”, faster then how that pipeline throughput is failing expectations. See, if you look at the OSHA site for “High Crimes Enforcement Cases”, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company through its Valdez Marine Terminal, well chalk up #40 on a list of environmental vagrants, a list of the top 10200 violators – for fines over $40000 bucks! So at #40 in only 45-years in operation, climbing that ladder! Now just 2-years ago, Alyeska and its associates in environmental crimes violations, well it meant a $674,235 dollar fine, for exposing hundreds of workers on numerous occasions with BETX, a cancer causing constituent found in crude oil. And the reason that date is so important, well Alyeska has been contesting that “fine” since then, which means a whole lot of attorney hours exhausted coming up with lullaby gullible excuses, as that is the only way you can bargain a settlement with the OSHA regulators. Now what is so laughable, well Alyeska had just won a settlement from a previous violation and thought maybe the regulators had enough, just like when the regulators turned their backs on the Alyeska workers that tried to comvince everybody and their brother that drunk tanker crews being allowed into the VMT facility then climbing aboard a tanker filled with toxic crude oil, not a good idea. But I guess the regulators learned from such mistakes after Joe Hazelwood blew a sobriety test after sinking the EXXON Valdez on Bligh Reef in 1989, so then came a surprise visit and the “Big Fine” as it appears it meant violations on the “Repeat”. So more time and money for those expensive outside lawyers. And just when maybe there would come a settlement, well Alyeska then finds itself in hot water once again with respect to environmental crimes , more violations when someone forgot what a snow shovel was all about in Valdez, in March when the “snow loads” are heavy handed due to thawing and ice buildup. And because of the complacency, well many of the crude oil storage tanks came close to exploding, and BETX once again attacked the environment, airborne in the air we breath. So maybe a lesson’s learned, fire the high-paid attorneys, do the crime pay the fine and hire some snow shovelers. But wait there is more. When Alyeska had its greatness fun at spoiling the environment and faced that massive fine, the biggest ever in Alaska, well the VP of “Maintenance & Operations” would be the responsible party, so she retired. And guess what, she has been re-hired back on the heels of this latest environmental atrocity event, and not to handle a snow shovel, but as the CEO!

Alyeska Betsy Wetsy Doll – 2022

Dear Alyeska;

With Betsy Haines rejoining the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, may I suggest that a commemorative doll be established in her honor, as the 1^st "girl" non-interim Pipeline President! Yes, the 2022 Betsy Wetsy Doll! Lets’ face the fact, that after 45-years we once again hear that dedicated Alyeska workers in Valdez had to call the “Clean Air Act Violation” hot-line, because Alyeska furloughed the snow shovels and destructive snow loads busted the safety vapor relief valves off the crude oil storage tanks and allowed “benzene” to pollute the air we breath. So it appears diapers are in order for the Alyeska Leadership…I meant “Weanhership Committee” and such a doll would complement the George M. Nelson “FUCk Bucks” commemorative of the late 1980s. When Nelson allowed drunk sailors to get through his company's security then jump aboard a tanker and crash into a reef.

Alyeska - Theft Be With You!

In 1996, I was made aware that the Alyeska-Pipeline-Service-Company was using materials I had produced for “Metering Training” without my prior consent. Yes, an intellectual property in ownership insult! Originally, there came a request for such material from the Pump Station #1 management, way back in 1992 and I delivered the required materials consistent with what one would expect, on a “trial free NO fee basis”. Basically speaking, I knew what was required for training technicians in the critical field of “Custody Transfer”. And since this request in appearance that even Alyeska’s very own experts that worked for the “Measurement Department” were incapable at providing any worthwhile training, well the sole reason Alyeska reached out to me for HELP! As at one time when my career was in good standing with Alyeska, that was my job in oversight along with training with respect to the metering systems at Pump Station#1 at the beginning of the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. And I was well versed in the similar “metering” systems in Valdez at the “END” of the line and also what was necessary at the North Pole facility, wherein crude oil was lifted off for a local refinery. I had put a whole lot of effort in producing the training materials, that could be used throughout the Alyeska organization on what was considered the $cash register$”. So I offered up my services, please review what you asked for then consideration for compensation was all that was necessary. It was well known that “Big Oil”, who owned the oil, made it clear and convincing “if you cannot measure that oil don’t ship it”, so the marching orders from the Alyeska “Owners” mandated accurate accountability of every drop of “oil”. That was my job at one time. So when in short order after I was forced to resign from Alyeska, due my affiliation as a “Vocal Union Supporter” and subject to corporate Alyeska’s “kill the messenger” edict of the 1990s, well it was less then a year wherein Alyeska came looking and begging for my help, with that “Custody Transfer” thing in obligation. Wow, maybe an opportunity was knocking at my door and when asked to provide “Help”, what was produced on “my dime” could be used for Technician Progression, which allows advancements in the “tech” ranks which equates to more pay – that incentive. So my materials would allow workers to make even more $money$, so of course compensation for this guy was mandatory if indeed Alyeska realized there was potential in what I had delivered, originally for review! Now upon delivery of the “goods” as requested through a verbal conversation, I never did get any acknowledgment that Alyeska was interested in my manuals and or training documentation, from a compensatory standpoint the only reason I responded to such a request. So what was my sentiment as it was in merit a courageous undertaking after I had been so screwed by that company, it was a good try – as I was trying to provide an income to feed my family working for myself. OK, we sometimes loose site of learning from our mistakes as Alyeska was well known to be a cut-throat organization that spied on its workers and was well versed in demonstrating that discrimination in the workplace was alive and well in the 90s. Now the materials provided were all inclusive, with the basic understanding of a “metering system” in its fundamental criteria, to meter proving and accountability and in advance surrounded by an in-depth orientation into the numerous American Petroleum Institute’s calculations that govern how crude oil is measured to within 4-decimal places on the single barrel! Yes, pretty amazing. And Alyeska had the best system in the world, and I was part of getting Alyeska to enjoy that notoriety. So I wrote it off, that Alyeska found no use for my training materials. Well low and behold when in 1996 I was made aware of the fact that Alyeska continued to use my materials, for training purposes 4-years after the fact! And never did Alyeska receive permission to violate my reasonable expectations nor was there ever any compensation – to blatantly disregard a “verbal contract” wherein I was to be compensated if Alyeska saw virtue in utilizing my materials. I was being taken advantage upon some many years after-the-fact without any compensation. So I contacted a lawyer, and I was told to send the “Owner Companies” a bill, in explanation what was going on. This would get the attention of the “checkbook” as “Big Oil” does not like to pick on the “Little Guy”. So I received feedback to contact the Alyeska legal department and demand a reasonable accommodation in proceeds for Alyeska using my materials without my permission, wherein Alyeska was advantaged by that usage without my permission. Now the lawyer I had contacted demanded I request a daily usage fee at $100/Day, a good starting point yet is chicken-shit for a company like Alyeska that was handling 2-million barrels a day of crude oil for that “Big Oil” interest. That fee was designed to cover a reasonable expectation, with respect to when I was made aware of it, that my intellectual property was still being used by the Technicians-in-Training. So that amounted to many days since the day I was requested to deliver the “goods” and such were delivered. See, I held up my side of the “verbal contract” in offer and Alyeska took advantage of this “Little Guy”. OK, Simple Simon math that meant Alyeska owed me a whole lot of $money$, yet in reality peanuts for an operation like Alyeska. But Alyeska thought differently, as it was Alyeska that had the bigger britches when it comes to lawyers and litigation, and one thing I learned in the kindergarten of legal wrangling, especially with an oil entity in Alaska, lawyers frown away from such lawsuits as it is not a good thing to work against “Big Oil”. So Alyeska Ted wanted to kiss ass with Bob Malone, as the Alyeska “Corporate Culture” was alive and well in that “shoot the messenger” somewhat downgraded from “kill the messenger” and during this time when Bob Malone was at the helm, dealing with widespread discrimination. So Ted threw me a bone, like an IRS offer-in-compromise, as his bonus was most likely tied to how he could rip me off. See. Alyeska knew they violated all the rules of the road any decency to others in how to engage in ethical business dealings, by using someone. But like Alyeska had become so well versed upon, never admit anything. Yet by admitting that the company did use my materials, well in the end I was offered not $100/Day usage fee but offered ¼ of a penny on the dollar! And it was a take-it or leave-it proposition and to refuse, it would have meant going to court. It is the Alyeska way, as that is about what Alyeska ends up paying Uncle Sam for “Serious” Clean Air Act violations when the Alyeska lawyers contest things. If it is not theft, then what is it?

Alyeska Pipeline 1983

 

Pathetic Pipeline Service Company

 

Dear Betsy Haines;

Appears it is the time for a name change for your company, may I suggest the Pathetic Pipeline Service Company! For real, after 45-years, one would think the company could for once get it right, at least when it comes to removing snow in earnest in efforts to prevent Clean Air Act violations. By the way, it is already snowing in Valdez, so what do you have planned this season for “what snow recovery”? But to hear a concerned worker at the Alyeska Valdez Marine Terminal in the year 2022 had to risk his or her career to file a complaint with the regulators about uncontrolled releases of cancer causing “benzene & hydrocarbons” because the low flow study you supervised said no need for snow shovels…as interim I am sure you are trying to find out the name of that “whistleblower” likewise every past President of Alyeska, in that “shoot the messenger” extravaganza. I am sure that the worker(s) complained first to the local management, moving that concern to outside interference when the concern of uncontrolled releases of cancer causing “benzene” fell on deaf ears. Déjà vu? It was a simple task of snow removal, no college diploma needed for that! But it is pathetic, the shoe fits wear it, that this age-old problem still haunts Alyeska, and you have been part of that “Cowitt Culture” since back in the early 90s, when that “shoot the messenger” was Alyeska’s main objective to cover things up. Sad, that today there is a management mindset that is still not listening, as no one wants to become a “whistleblower”, but when push comes to shove and it is the only outlet, good luck trying to defend Alyeska on this one. When I read this complaint filed by a concerned employee with the National Response Center, that was then re-distributed as a “Notification” to 25 different agencies with oversight, it is a “Serious” matter. And then to hear that Egan justify her position to tell a “fib” to white-wash a real problem in some lane bull-shit about “We do things very methodically, very safely”…it assures me that Alyeska is the same damn renegade it has always been. And what is so wrong with telling the “Truth”? In this case, Egan should have said it so, that Alyeska has no idea how much “benzene” entered the air we breath when the snow removal on the storage tanks in Valdez went AWOL as did the relief valves falling to the ground no longer capable of controlling the atmosphere in those crude oil storage tanks. But maybe because Alyeska was still contesting 38 OSHA violations categorized as “SERIOUS” from 2020, when I believe you were the O&M VP, best bring back the cover-up artists as it must be damage control once again! With this latest fiasco, it was an uncontrolled “release” and let’s hope the regulators throw the book at Alyeska for this yet another atrocity that should have could have been avoided if someone was doing their job. Word of caution, you are falling into the age-old “Cowitt” trap, you should have stayed home.

The "Whistleblower" Complaint:

INCIDENT DESCRIPTION

*Report taken by NRC on 19-MAR-22 at 18:25 ET.

Incident Type: FIXED

Incident Cause: OTHER

Affected Area:

Incident was discovered on 19-MAR-22 at 14:30 local incident time.

Affected Medium: AIR / ATMOSPHERE

_______________________________________________________________________

SUSPECTED RESPONSIBLE PARTY

Organization: VALDEZ MARINE TERMINAL

VALDEZ, AK

Type of Organization: PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

_______________________________________________________________________

INCIDENT LOCATION

300 DAYVILLE ROAD County: VALDEZ-CORDOVA

City: VALDEZ State: AK

_______________________________________________________________________

RELEASED MATERIAL(S)

CHRIS Code: BNZ Official Material Name: BENZENE

Also Known As:

Qty Released: 0 UNKNOWN AMOUNT

CHRIS Code: NCC Official Material Name: NO CHRIS CODE

Also Known As: HYDRO CARBON

Qty Released: 0 UNKNOWN AMOUNT

_______________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT

CALLER IS REPORTING THE RELEASE OF AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF BENZENE AND

HYDRO CARBON FROM A TANK FARM. THE RELEASED MATERIALS ARE GOING INTO

THE AIR AND ATMOSPHERE. THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE IS DUE TO

NEGLIGENCE TO MAINTENANCE OF THE TANKS AT THE TANK FARM. THE CALLER

STATED THAT THE TANK FARM IS VIOLATING AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS.

The ALYESKA Executive "Skunk Works"

The HERMILLER "Letter of Apology"!

What forced that "Apology" when the PROFS Systems was broken into:

Sounds like the "Alyeska "Black-listing" was alive and well in 1991!

Chapstick on a PIG:

First and foremost, against my will against my years of dedicated service I was once again being force transferred to the Pipeline, because Alyeska needed my expertise as a “Custody Transfer” expert at Pump Station #1 - when that critical component of moving oil was handed back to the Pipeline, taken away from Fat Alex in 84 due the fact the Technicians were tweaking the accountability of just how much oil went down that pipeline. And Yes, I went to “Basic Training” upon my original hire, but was hired to work in Valdez and at the time there was a difference in what was offered to new hirers with respect to that “Basic Training” curriculum, the reason I stayed and spent time on CBT’s that were geared toward the “Pipeline Technician” requirements, so to speak up I did but was told to attend anyway.

Secondly, the “Basic Training” was not cancelled due to recruiting difficulties, it was cancelled when Rick the instructor refused to teach the class with me in the audience, because he knew my credentials and was embarrassed and pissed that somebody had made the decision to send me to such training with a bunch of new hirers.

Correct the issue was resolved, because I had already turned in my resignation papers effective September of 1991.

So what Kathy Carr provides in answers to the Company President, it was all a cover-thou-ass LIE!

And YES I was a “Vocal Union Supporter” when the Valdez technicians were trying to “organize”, because we went sick and tired of being called upon by Larry the Marine Guy to help get the drunk tanker crews back aboard that tanker filled with crude oil and ready to set sail through the “Valdez Narrows”. We went tired of being an accomplice that allowed that damaging bad habit to be…then came the EXXON Valdez wreck. Had there been a “Union” that wreck would have never happened the way it did. And YES some more, due the fact I was labeled as a “Unionist”, there would be no promotions as that is what “black-listing” is all about. And CarCarr’s response, again lying to the CEO that it was ultimately resolved, sorry again another ”big fat lie”. But that is why Alyeska has been in trouble for so long as oil has been flowing down that 800-mile long Trans-Alaska-Pipeline – as it appears lying to the executives was par for the course, may I suggest “soap”.

Now Carr was a part of that Cowitt “corporate corruption”, that thought getting in favor with the Filth Floor Bragaw Executives - that were for the most part “loanees” from the “Big Oil” - staying in favor by coping a “shoot the messenger” attitude and don’t forget to kiss everything and anything that looks like a “corporate” asshole. But there came a purge in Alyeska’s rank and file management, following the Hermiller “Spy” network getting caught, but it did not go deep enough as we see that today with the current CEO being recalled, she was part of that “culture” and learned well all about it and used that wherewithal to climb to the “top”. Now Carr was retired, probably one hell of a bonus for targeting “Vocal Union Supporters” like myself. And low and behold, she became the HR manager for a contractor I was gainfully employed with and at the time I was in good standing, working for a BP contract on the “Slope”. And guess what, when there came a down-turn in the oil field due to price gouging, I was the first worker “axed” and the BP managers were pissed, as I was the only worker that pulled his own weight, due my years of experience in the “oil patch”. But that is how payback works, and even though the CEO can recite that “rehire eligibility”, that means nothing and is but for a legal means to cover one’s ass. Once “black-listed” it never goes away! And even after 40-years since the Valdez Technicians tried to get “organized”, that fight still sheds blood, as “Big Oil” wants nothing to do with a “Union” except in rare circumstances. But for the most part, it remains a “shoot the messenger” reality.

Alyeska Pipeline Management – PROUD?

Wow, back to the basics for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, snow-removal 101 and how to use a shovel, not for shoveling bull-shit but...Wow, 2-years after the time-scene of the crime, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company management is still contesting the $404,602.00 fine for a considerable amount of OSHA violations, back from 2020, that which placed the workers at risk in Valdez at the “END” of the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Some 43-violations in total, with 38 categorized as “Serious”. For things like exposing the workers to cancer causing “Benzene” which is considered that “value added product” associated with North slope crude oil production. And that “Benzene” along with other nasty constituents like “Toluene”, it is due the fact the oil producers up north “spike” that crude oil with “natural gas liquids” in a $money$ making opportunity because it enhances the ”Quality Bank Account” of that oil by increasing the specific gravity. And the “slate” for evaluating that crude, as oil lubricity is different depending on what kind of dinosaur it originated from, it is based on the “gravity” of the situation. So instead of shoving that “NGL” byproduct back into the formation or “flaring” it off, send it south so what’s the problem with a little “Benzene” emission? It is all about the $money$! And that fine came on the heels of another OSHA enforcement action at the same damn place only a few months prior, in Valdez, which allowed the original $64,000.00 fine for that violation to be contested down to $27,000.00. See, when an OSHA fine is over $40k, violators get special mention attention on the OSHA site! Way to go Alyeska! Like who in hell would want to work here? But with the Alyeska lawyers trying to convince the OSHA regulators to be kind, to lower the “contested” fine so that it is below that $40k threshold they don’t want the publicized notoriety in recognition as a “Major Violator” or “Major Contributor” that which side-lines the Clean Air Act, well just a few months ago that company may have chastised any attempt for “regulator” leniency upon that “Big Fine”! See, contesting an environmental crime with some semblance of “leniency”, to get a break, it is based on Trust v. Trust, that you learn from your mistakes so Uncle Sam retreats – but don’t cross him mind you! And by God don’t become a repeat offender. So just when the “Pipeline People” were sitting down with the regulators, all hell came crashing down in Valdez. See, in the “low flow study” by the Alyeska engineers, because the “pipeline” is running on empty, that study said put away the snow shovels in Valdez. And then the snows came and with ice formation on the 60-foot tall tanks, the accompanying ice-shearing loads destroyed many of the mechanical control valves on the crude oil storage tanks, because free-fall from gravity is another thing we learned in kindergarten, which means more “Benzene” emission in an uncontrolled delivery. So not only were the workers cheated out by exposure to uncontrolled releases of cancer causing “stuff”, more then likely it got into the air we breath in Valdez! Way to go “low flow study” engineers! And who was in charge of that “study” that may have said no need for that snow shovel? Maybe the company should bring that individual back, as it surely did not get its money’s worth when on the payroll. Like in a money back guarantee. Hint: “like a big, frozen tube of ChapStick."

And this fancy footing around by outsiders, that maybe this atrocity was based on the new owners of the pipeline – like Sillycorp? That is a lame excuse. Instead, for many of us that came to find in understanding that Alyeska culture in its corruptness maybe ineptness, it is just more of the same and it is but for the same blame game just a different inning, the corrupt culture that has been at the helm of that company Alyeska since the 1980s. Yes, over the years that corruption has enjoyed “promotions” up into the reaches of the executive branch wherein a shovelful of experience without such corruption would be a godsend. But below is what the outside news media is broadcasting:

Lessons learned, or ‘were they forgotten?’

Schantz said her watchdog group, the citizens advisory council, will be looking into Alyeska’s preparedness once the snow removal is finished. Given that similar problems cropped up at the terminal a decade ago, Schantz said she wants to know “what happened to all those lessons learned. Were they forgotten? Or was this a different scenario?” she said. One essential question, Schantz said, is whether any cost-cutting or efficiency measures from Alyeska affected the company’s readiness. That’s especially relevant after the Hilcorp affiliate acquired its 49% stake in Alyeska in 2020, she said, because of the company’s reputation for efficiency and reducing expenses. “There’s a higher level of concern with Hilcorp, and really it’s because they’ve been open that that’s their business model,” Schantz said. “They have a different way of managing things to cut costs.” In a report filed with federal responders last week, provided to the Daily News by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an unnamed caller reported a release of an “unknown amount of benzene and hydrocarbon from a tank farm” at the Valdez Marine Terminal. “The cause of the release is due to negligence to maintenance of the tanks at the tank farm,” the caller said, according to the report.

An EPA spokeswoman said that federal regulators have not confirmed the report’s details. The state is now the lead investigator on the incident, she said.

Egan, from Alyeska, said there hasn’t been a “big change” in the way the company staffs its snow removal crews. The number of available core crews and backup contractors has been stable since 2019, she said, which is before the Hilcorp transaction closed.

While this year came with an “unusual” amount of snow and unprecedented impacts to infrastructure, Egan said, the company is also reviewing its response. “As we always do, we will identify and apply any lessons from this experience and build them into our processes,” she said. “An investigation is underway so that we can do just that.”

 

…and great video!

https://weather.com/storms/winter/video/snow-damages-alaska-pipeline-companys-storage-tanks

No Room for Improvement?

IMAGINE, if the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company could claim such an achievement, in “No Room for Improvement”. It cannot, never an accomplishment of-record as it does not try hard enough! See, the best thing that ever happened to that company, when CEO Bob Malone was not afraid to involve the “public” upon a stained image in corporate responsibility. Now when at the helm, and offering up the seed for change that catalyst for recovery, even after the EXXON Valdez “Wreck”, Bob followed through by allowing Alyeska to accept the open-door opportunity to get it right. But that soon fell through the ice and went down-river soon after he realized that the “corrupt culture” that had come to power over the years, it was a long shot and maybe an unachievable goal! He could not do it alone, it would take the employees to accept the change, that was meant for the good of all things considered. Wherein reality, it would have required a complete purge of the “upper crust and middle-class management”, that was the “problem child” please don’t blame the front-line workers! But Malone gave the underlings that opportunity to change, but they did not know how to act being so derelict in ethics and responsibility consistent with a polluted mindset from a past while under the guidance of a George Nelson like torture. It was like spousal abuse, you put up with it and over time it becomes acceptable to some and then they don’t know how to act without the abuse. Just another day in Hell. There should have come a “major” purge in the management ranks to get it right, and when that was not accomplished, it is like incest how the company continues to survive. Today, Alyeska is no different a company, no different then when Malone made it public that Alyeska engaged in discrimination against Native Alaskans, in a perceived company-wide problem. Wherein as a time tested British Petroleum “executive” he was lost for words to see how deep rooted that “discrimination” existed across the organization known as the “Pipeline People”. Look, only Malone could walk away from Alyeska after serving as the CEO with a smile, as all the other jerks from George Nelson to Tom Barrett, what a lame excuse for executive accountability. All the others forced out of that coveted position, for things like tanker “wrecks”, covert “SPY” operations against its employees, serious OSHA violations, major leaks to name but a few of what gets one a ticket to early retirement! Look, a CEO has to trust his underlings, but when there is NO TRUST to begin with, the ship of fools is damned and righteousness is abandoned and any good name is doomed. So who am I to challenge the wherewithal of the “Executive Management” of the company that has been in hot water since the early 80s? Look, just a few months ago another clean air act violation in the making, when the snow-shovels went missing in action and the as-usual March snow-load caused the oil tanks to accumulate way too much snow, like 14-feet in 6-hours! And because of lack of oversight in snow removal, which has been known about for some 45-years by now, it damaged the valves used to control the "cancer causing Benzene" emissions – it’s Valdez Alaska, one never puts away that shovel I know I lived there for many years! OK cat out of the bag, I was employed by that company once-upon-a-time. And with bragging rights at my 10-year anniversary, the Manager of the SCADA Pipeline Department presented me with a performance evaluation that insisted “can offer no suggestions for improvement or development”. My work, my everything job associated, there was “NO ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT” is of record in Alyeska’s Human Resource’s legal file. So why was my career cut short? Well when the corporate issued performance credentials of an individual speaks for itself, that there is NO ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT nor NO ROOM for DEVELOPMENT, best listen up to what this individual has to say about that, as I knew what I was talking about. See, Alyeska had this motto the “Best of the Best” and even ex-CEO James Hermiller made it clear and convincing that I was the “Best” of the “Best of the Best”, but that came about after I was forced to “quit”. Yes-eerie, after a concerned employee in the HR risked her career by forwarding me a confidential company “for your eyes only” e-mail, wherein a correspondence between then CEO Hermiller and the HR’s Kathy Carr provided some very damaging information. It was so embarrassing to the company, because it went outside its intended audience and provided me with what I had suspected all along as to why my career had been “Killed”, because of my “Vocal Union Support” in trying to get Alyeska’s management to realize the potential damage that would occur because of the tanker drunks, well Hermiller had to write me an apology. In vain cowardly efforts to try and convince me that the letter was not intended to cause me any harm of embarrassment. It was a cover-thou-ass letter in apology, but this all after I had already terminated my association with Alyeska.

Said again, that is what it means with NO ROOM for IMPROVEMENT – the BEST even after I was forced to "quit". See, the executive management knew the "Union" interest in Valdez was right all along, had they only listened! And I spoke up, not afraid to tell the Truth, because I had reached that pinnacle of success and my candor for honesty was endorsed by my performance in what the management said about my work ethics. So I was inclined to speak up, about the drunk tanker crews roaming about unescorted at the Alyeska Valdez Marine Terminal proper and also outspoken upon the blatant disregard for human rights. I had gained that privilege. But instead of the upper management listening up, I was targeted for the honesty in telling it what it was like on the job. See, when a manager gives such praise, as a human we realize all is well “keep-up the good work” and think we are doing the right thing on the job and with that sentiment that management has our back side covered. But so wrong I was, as even though the company thought I walked on water, when it came to things like environmental responsibility not up to the challenge and human suffering through discrimination a bother to some of my co-workers of Alaskan Native decent, the company refused to listen up to what this guy was trying to tell them. Because it was two things the company could not or would not address! Instead, it was a “Shoot the Messenger” recon reckoning. Think about it, had Alyeska’s upper management listened to this guy that had reached the point of “NO ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT” in job responsibility and ethics, well then the drunk tanker captains would have been arrested as so with those in management that promoted discrimination in the work-place demoted. And then think some more of the fallout, had the Alyeska management listened to those like myself that understood what we were talking about, as then maybe so the EXXON Valdez would still be sailing in and out of Valdez, instead of being memorialized as Joe Hazelwood’s wreck and sold for scrap! IMAGINE, if today Alyeska could really claim it stood for law and order with respect to the environment and equal rights. It cannot, and due the past and what is of historical value, it will never attain that goal – it is too late as Alyeska surely had the opportunity to do things right, and some of us told them so because that was our job! If only the management within Alyeska had listened up, that company could today be so proud, as I am convinced that the “wreck” would have never occurred. But instead, it merely promoted a “Kill the Messenger” mandate and work environment that was uninvitedly scary, as the aspect of righteousness on the job remained a pipedream. Speaking up was a way to get on the bad side of management, and that meant the unemployment line as once “black-listed” in the Alaska oil industry, good luck best get used to flipping burgers! And for those that tried to make a difference it meant being demoted in the sense there would never come any promotions, tarnished careers a tar and feathering ritual while those that perpetrated the “bad” stuff were promoted, as if that was what the company management wanted all along. There is not a single individual that worked for that company that understands what it was all about, what it was like when the corporate axe-man was told to do his job, to "Kill the Messenger" as I am witness, I am evidence that when it comes to climbing that corporate “poop chute” that some will cut your throat, steal your retirement, rape your children and call your wife a whore just to get ahead and Alyeska surely can take credit for writing the book on the latter theme - else I would not have had to quit for out-performing every other worker and telling the Truth upon the matters of concern my only guilt! A Few Good Men, yes and Alyeska thought differently as it was a company that “could not stand the Truth”. And I doubt if its existence as a corporate entity is any better off today! To end, a word in WARNING to any Alyeska worker with expectations that strives to go above and beyond, that consistently grades “above expectations” and finds that there is NO ROOM for IMPROVEMENT, beware as that makes enemies!

In ending, if what I have called out above, if it were NOT TRUE, then why has not Alyeska sent a “Cease & Desist”, why has not the Alyeska “legal maggots” filed a “Restraining Order” against my publications found throughout this “Blog”? Because any legal action taken would bring forward the TRUTH, and maybe some are afraid of that TRUTH being made “public”!