Check Valve Damage - Friday, July 7, we were notified that a curvature pig arrived in Valdez with a check valve seat ring attached. The ring was most probably dislodged from check valve 74 just south of Fairbanks. The valve has been rendered non-functional until repaired.

Our immediate concerns include environmental issues and internal damage to the pipe wall and other valves. Oil spill response plans for the area are being adjusted and soil gas testing has begun at buried valves that cannot be visually checked. No external leakage has been found and the soil gas readings have all been negative to date but will continue. JPO and Alyeska have increased surveillance in the area.

Alyeska representatives briefed JPO this afternoon. Major items discussed include:

• how does Alyeska plan to inspect for other internal damages,
• what are their plans to repair the valve and any other damage and how soon might that occur, and
• what is Alyeska's plan to enhance spill response until the valve is repaired.

Assessment - JPO's first assessment of Alyeska's Risk Management Program was released in February 1998. A "second look" at the Program has just been completed. The scope for this assessment included the recording, tracking, and closure of risk assessments through May 5, 2000.

Two areas of improvement were noted since the 1998 report:

1. Alyeska has improved its system for tracking risk assessments and recommendations. Alyeska now has an adequate tracking system in place for their program.
2. Alyeska has made progress in reducing the backlog of unresolved risk assessment recommendations.

1. Alyeska's Program does not have a documented process for reassessing risk due to project implementation delays.
2. A thorough written justification is not provided for declining many recent risk recommendations. The lack of this written justification makes it difficult to judge from the database record, the significance of not completing the recommended action.

Assessment - JPO released an assessment entitled Alyeska Pipeline Service Company 1999 Flood Damage Repair Project (F075). The assessment was based on 13 surveillances conducted by JPO between March and October 1999 at four different sites: Dietrich River, Pipeline Milepost 185.5; Dietrich River, PLMP 186.2; Middle Fork Koyukuk River, PLMP 218.5; and Sagavanirktok River, PLMP 62.5. The three purposes of the assessment were: permit compliance, Grant and Lease compliance, and planning and permit coordination.

We found that Alyeska was in compliance with most agency regulatory requirements during three flood damage repair projects in 1999. Two permit violations related to a material storage site and a crossing of a fish stream were noted and remedial work at Alignment Slough was conducted without a required BLM permit. A required revegetation plan was not submitted and the revegetation was not accomplished resulting in several Grant and Lease noncompliances.

An additional 1999 project was delayed as agency information requests were not fulfilled and environmental issues remained outstanding.

JPO identified an opportunity to coordinate with construction personnel sooner, which would result in few project delays resulting from design changes and requests for permit modifications.

A copy of this assessment can be obtained upon request (JPO No. 00-A-004).

JPO Engineering Report - We assessed Alyeska's inspections of the Tazlina and Gulkana River Pipeline Bridges as they relate to pipeline bridge inspections and maintenance. Alyeska is required to have a professional engineer inspect and certify the structural integrity of the bridges every five years.

Alyeska's evaluations of the bridges concluded that they were in good condition, however, nine maintenance items and 14 suggestions were made for further consideration. We are concerned with two of the recommended maintenance items requiring prompt attention by Alyeska in order for the bridges to be in a determinate state:

1. Tazlina Bridge - We recommend that a thorough structural analysis be performed.
2. Gulkana Bridge - A weld has a possible hairline crack. We recommend additional investigation to more clearly determine the nature of the crack.

Our examination of the program found that no reporting or corrective action tracking is in place to ensure identified maintenance deficiencies are corrected. Alyeska has committed to the JPO to develop a new procedure designed to ensure required inspection schedules are complied with, and corrective actions are implemented (Report No. JPO-00-E-020).

Deputy Secretary Visit - Mort Downey, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, met with JPO staff July 11 to discuss TAPS right-of-way renewal.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner requested information pertaining to the release of JPO's report on the recent Minton Creek oil spill drill. The report has not yet been completed but we hope to have a final by the end of July.

The Valdez Star requested information presented at the JPO Executive Council meeting June 28.

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The Joint Pipeline Office is a consortium of six State and five Federal agencies with responsibilities for regulating the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and other oil and gas pipelines in Alaska. The JPO came into existence in 1990 and stemmed from a cooperative effort by the Bureau of Land Management and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.