Visit helps Governor put a face on Alaska’s oil and gas

I believe Gov. Bill Walker’s recent visit to Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope oil fields had a deeper value than acquainting him with the oil and gas industry’s operations and plans for future development. During his three-day visit in late May, the governor met people who drill the wells and maintain and operate the production facilities — many of whom have worked on the North Slope for decades.

In a comment to one of BP’s managers, the governor likened the oil and gas industry to an “invisible economy to most Alaskans.” It is true. In most oil-producing states, such as Texas, Oklahoma and California, the industry is seen and heard. In Alaska, aside from Cook Inlet, the state’s primary economic engine is tucked away on the Arctic coast, hundreds of miles away from the state’s population centers. The vast array of complex facilities and pipelines required to produce North Slope oil from thousands of feet below the ground is “invisible” to the public. And so are the people who work there.

During the 1980s and ’90s, when the Prudhoe Bay field was in its production heyday and new fields were being developed, interest in the North Slope was high. As a BP employee, I spent a lot of time conducting tours of the North Slope. Visitors included industry and business leaders, movie stars, the news media, educators, legislators, members of U.S. Congress and government agency officials. I can say unequivocally that to a person, visitors were highly impressed when they saw firsthand how the Slope was being developed to bring this critically-needed resource to Americans.

But visitors weren’t just staggered by the expanse of the area, the many miles of pipelines, roads and large industrial facilities looming on the horizon. They were noticeably impressed by the people who kept things running — people who spent half their lives, on a rotating schedule, living and working in this remote region, which in winter can be quite hostile. And as many tours as I conducted — from Milne Point in the West to Endicott in the East — I was invariably among those who were impressed. I have never met a more dedicated and determined group of people in my life.

Since oil first flowed into the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline on June 20, 1977, it has been those people, as well as their associates in Anchorage and other locations, who have made North Slope oil development a success — producing about 12.2 billion barrels of oil from the Prudhoe Bay field alone — about 2.5 billion barrels more than was estimated in the 1969 field discovery.

During his visit, the governor saw huge facilities called flow stations and gathering centers that separate gas and water from crude oil. He saw one of the biggest power stations in Alaska, and two of the largest gas plants in the world. He saw neat rows of oil wells covered by metal boxes, and he got a look at some of the area’s expansive living facilities, such as the Prudhoe Bay Operations Center.

But most important, he met people — the faces of Alaska’s oil industry, an industry that generates 90 percent of the state’s income and, consequently, stirs public debate and generates newspaper headlines. He met people like James “Snake” Willingham, a longtime drilling and wells leader, tool pusher Jeremy Mallory and Shirl Shannon, an instrument technician who has worked on the North Slope for 34 years.

“He was surprised and intrigued that I have been on the slope for 34 years, and he questioned me on what I’ve done over all those years,” Shirl said.

For more than half a century Alaska has been in the oil business, and that ties its population closely to that industry. I remember years when the state of Alaska’s relationship with the oil industry was on a much more solid footing. By virtue of his recent trip to the North Slope and his visit to Shell’s facility in Seattle, I think Gov. Walker is making an effort to build and strengthen that relationship.

Frank E. Baker worked for BP from 1978-2007. He is currently a freelance writer and a contractor to BP.