JPO centralizes lease compliance section

State Pipeline Coordinator Mike Thompson has reorganized lease compliance positions into a lease compliance section at the Joint Pipeline Office in Anchorage effective Oct. 16.

Laura Chase, JPO public affairs officer, told Petroleum News that with the lease compliance section centrally located in Anchorage JPO technical staff, including engineers, will be easily accessible to the entire section. The section includes positions that were formerly in Anchorage, Valdez and Fairbanks.

Chase said neither the State Pipeline Coordinator’s Office nor JPO are taking on additional responsibilities. “This is an internal reorganization of positions that fall within the State Pipeline Coordinator’s Office,” she said.

The section, with five positions, will be responsible for all SPCO jurisdictional pipelines, including the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and state pipelines. The reorganization combines both non-TAPS and TAPS surveillance staff, enabling cross training and providing additional coverage when staff are on leave. All five positions are currently budgeted, so the change will not increase the budget, Chase said.

Bruce Novinska will be acting manager until the section manager position is filled.

—Petroleum News