Harris threatens hearings for oil shippers

The speaker of the Alaska House is concerned that the owners of the shipping company that hauls North Slope oil for BP are skimping on tanker maintenance.

John Harris, R-Valdez, is threatening to hold hearings on the issue.

Harris recently fired off letters to top executives of three firms that jointly own Alaska Tanker Co., an Oregon-based operator.

Harris told The Anchorage Daily News that he wrote the letters after the operator’s president, Anil Mathur, came to him and said he was having difficulty with the company owners.

Harris said in the letter that he understood Mathur had been put on notice for poor behavior after a funding request for tanker work was denied.

—The Associated Press