Anchorage Daily News

Governor honors firms for safety records

Four companies were recognized recently with a Governor's Safety Award of Excellence for their worker health and safety programs:

• Alaska Tanker Co., the company that sails BP's oil from Valdez, had 18 recordable injury cases in more than 4.8 million work hours from 2005-07, a rate 83 percent below industry averages. Alaska Tanker had three days away/restricted/transfer cases, 96 percent below industry averages, the Labor Department said.

• Dunkin & Bush Inc., an industrial coating and painting contractor in Kenai, had one recordable illness and injury in more than 138,000 work hours over the last three years. That was 64 percent below industry averages.

• Horizon Lines' Kodiak Terminal operated at an injury level below the Bureau of Labor Standards rates during the period of 2006-2008.

• Shaw Infrastructure Inc., a global engineering and construction business with an office in Anchorage, had one recordable injury/illness case in more than 273,000 work hours from 2005-07 -- 88 percent below the industry average.

In addition, the department said two organizations and one individual were recognized for contributions to the health and safety field. Alaska Injury Prevention Center promotes seat belt use. Anchorage's Solid Waste Services, a trash hauler, reduced its "over the road" accident rate to almost zero during the last three years. And Nathan Menah, a Labor Department investigator, produced two videos about workplace safety for young Alaskans.

Breast-cancer survivors sought for study

Lyn Freeman, owner of Mind Matters Research in Anchorage, said she has received a small business research innovation grant of nearly $1 million from the National Cancer Institute to conduct a "Multi-Media Imagery Study for Breast Cancer Patients Phase II" in the Anchorage-Mat-Su area. The research results will be tested for their ability to mitigate the late-term side effects of cancer treatment, including symptoms of chemobrain, fatigue, stress and other related symptoms. Mind Matters is looking for breast-cancer survivors to participate in the research.

ASRC will have dividend of $15.16 per share

The board of Arctic Slope Regional Corp. has announced a spring dividend of $15.16 per share to be paid in mid-April. The average ASRC shareholder owns 100 shares and will receive $1,516, the Barrow-based Native corporation said. "The 2009 spring dividend is the result of ASRC's strong financial performance throughout 2008. The combined spring and fall dividend represents the largest single-year regular distribution the corporation has ever made." said Bobbi Quintavell, chief executive. Last fall the company paid a $46.10-a-share dividend, and the total payout of that dividend plus the new one is $67.2 million. The company said the spring dividend is similar in size to the amount paid in 2006 and 2007. As of this month, Arctic Slope will have paid $364 million since its inception. The company is one of the state's largest businesses with these major business segments: oil refining and marketing, government technical services, energy services and construction. The company also is part-owner of the Alpine oil field on the North Slope.

Greatland Clinical shifts to larger location

Greatland Clinical Associates has relocated to 1400 W. Benson Blvd., Suite 525. Greatland needed more space for its psychiatric and psychological services, said Dr. Eric Garby, clinical director. The phone number and billing address remain the same.

Chugach board seats will be filled at meeting

Chugach Electric Association's annual membership meeting and election will be held at 7 p.m. April 30 at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage. Registration begins at 6 p.m. Chugach is a member-owned cooperative electric utility. Four people are running for two seats on the board of directors: Uwe Kalenka, Elizabeth "Pat" Kennedy, Jim Nordlund and Steve Pratt. Nordlund is on the board now. Ballot packets were mailed to the 66,034 members of record on March 30. Members have until noon April 27 to return mailed ballots to the election post office box. Or they may vote in person at the meeting. Election results will be announced at the annual meeting. Chugach provides electricity to businesses and homes in part of Anchorage and to other electric companies from Homer to Fairbanks.

BP, Conoco Phillips move ahead on gas line

Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC said it has awarded an engineering contract for its gas pipeline project to Bechtel Corp. The project includes the pipeline and compressor stations from the North Slope to Alberta, Canada. Alaska Gas Pipeline is owned by North Slope producers BP and Conoco Phillips, who have dubbed their pipeline project "Denali."

The Bechtel contract includes pipeline engineering, compressor station engineering, design basis development, cost estimating, scheduling, and procurement planning as well as infrastructure and logistics assessments.

Bechtel is a global engineering firm with headquarters in San Francisco.

In February, Alaska Gas Pipeline said it awarded an engineering contract for a gas treatment plant to Fluor Worley-Parsons Arctic Solutions. That joint venture than hired CH2M Hill as an Alaska subcontractor to provide support during the initial design.

Contract awarded for gas treatment plant

URS Corp. said it has been awarded a contract by TransCanada Corp. to provide studies and conceptual design work for a natural gas treatment plant at the Prudhoe Bay oil field. The plant would process up to 5 billion cubic feet of gas per day for a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope, if such a gas pipeline is built.

URS's Washington Division will conduct preliminary front-end engineering and design for the project, with environmental and regulatory support provided by the URS Division. URS will also use ASRC Energy Services, a subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., for construction execution planning support for the project, the company said. URS is a San Francisco-based global engineering firm with offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Fort Wainwright and Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska.

Entities win $95.4 million in federal grants

The Alaska congressional delegation recently announced the following business-related federal grants:

• $52.8 million to Lynden Air Cargo of Anchorage to provide air-cargo service between Air Force bases and other locations in the state.

• $15 million to build a new airport at Akiachak.

• $15 million to rehabilitate a runway at the Fort Yukon airport.

• $6.1 million to March Creek Environmental Services to clean up the Umiat Well No.9 in the Brooks Range.

• $6 million to Bristol Environmental Remediation for initial cleanup at a landfill in North East Cape.

• $457,145 to the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership to provide technical, business and economic training and aid to the state's small manufacturers and rural Alaskans producing, marketing and distributing Native art and other home-based manufactured products.

State starts preliminary work on Umiat road

The state is moving forward on a road to Umiat. The Department of Transportation is preparing to spend more than $1 million on environmental studies and fieldwork to be completed before next winter, according to Petroleum News.

The department is looking to build a 90-mile year-round road from the Dalton Highway to Umiat, offering a route to the Gubik natural gas prospects being explored by Anadarko Petroleum. Gubik is considered a possible supply for a large gas pipeline into Canada and a smaller line to Anchorage.

A road through the Brooks Range foothills is expected to cost around $4 million a mile. The fieldwork doesn't mean the state is sanctioning the project yet.

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