By Tim Bradner
Alaska Journal of Commerce

An Alaska citizens group has temporarily shelved an advertising campaign over vapor emissions at the trans-Alaska oil pipeline's Valdez Marine Terminal after major owners of the pipeline, BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil, contacted the group to arrange a meeting on the issue.

Stan Jones, executive director of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, said Nov. 6 that Bob Malone, president of BP North America, initiated the meeting after the group issued a press release Nov. 2 announcing the ad campaign. A meeting is planned Nov. 9 in Anchorage between representatives of PWSCAC and the three major owners of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates the terminal.

The council is a citizen watchdog group formed under provisions of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and funded by Alyeska. It had plans a series of newspapers advertisements in Alaska urging BP chairman Lord John Browne, ConocoPhillips chief executive officer James Mulva and Exxon Mobil chief executive officer Rex Tillerson to take action to curb harmful emissions from the ballast water treatment plant at the terminal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the terminal's ballast water treatment plant releases 206 tons a year of harmful emissions including 60 tons per year of benzene, a carcinogen.

PWSCAC is asking for emissions at the terminal to be reduced to levels comparable or better than what is being now being achieved in refineries in the Lower 48 states, Jones said. The owners of Alyeska have been reluctant to approve proposals by Alyeska that would reduce the emissions, he said.

"The council is asking that hazardous air pollution be reduced from the current level to levels comparable with other major oil facilities by 2008," Jones said in a written statement. "A refinery in Benicia, California, that was owned until recently by Exxon Mobil puts out less than a ton of hazardous air pollution annually. We seek a reduction to comparable levels at Valdez."

Tim Bradner can be reached at tim.bradner@alaskajournal.com.