All pratices should be best practices

  • Saturday, November 29, 2014 5:56pm
  • Opinion

New oil and gas exploration in the Cook Inlet basin, coupled with the prospect of the Alaska LNG Project’s natural gas pipeline ending in Nikiski, are creating plenty of benefits for our community.

But there are negative impacts, too, and the companies benefitting from the boom should be doing all they can to mitigate those impacts.

Case in point are issues in Nikiski with Baker Hughes, an oilfield services company which recently dumped a cement mixture on its property. The mixture spread onto a neighboring property, and required a team of hazardous materials specialists to clean up.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

While dumping the cement mixture on its own property was not illegal, officials with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have told the Clarion that it certainly is not a best practice.

Making the situation worse, when the substance contaminated the adjoining property, company officials from Baker Hughes refused to provide details of what was in the substance to the property owner — leaving him to wonder just what he’d been exposed to. The DEC provided the Clarion the material safety data sheet for the cement, which, it was noted, is considered hazardous by the Occupational Safety Health Administration.

The company is cleaning up the mess, but the fact that it happened in the first place is unacceptable. Residents here are generally supportive of exploration and development — provided it’s done in a way that doesn’t threaten our other resources, our health and our environment. Taking shortcuts when disposing of hazardous materials does all of those things.

What’s more, when companies do make a mistake, they need to be much more forthcoming about the potential impact. Most Kenai Peninsula residents wouldn’t even know where to start if they suspected their property of being contaminated, never mind have the resources to be able to challenge a huge international corporation. The public deserves to know when industry actions affect their lives, and industry should be responsible and responsive in addressing problems and sharing information with those affected.

We’re appreciative of the many contributions made by the oil and gas industry to our region, and people here welcome the investment. But we’d ask that the industry show the same respect and ensure that best practice principles be applied to everything it does. Cutting corners just doesn’t cut it any more.

More in Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.