‘Exxon Valdez’ disaster predicted for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

At the time, Brian said he supported opening up the ANWR to oil exploration but said BP has imperiled that goal because it is ''putting Prudhoe workers and the environment at risk”. ''We are trying to change that so we don't have a catastrophe that ends up on CNN and stops us from getting into ANWR,'' according to a March 13, 2002 report in the Anchorage Daily News.

In 2001, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission found high failure rates on some Prudhoe wellhead safety valves. The company was put on federal criminal probation after one of its contractors dumped thousands of gallons of toxic material underground at BP's Endicott oil field in the 1990s. BP pleaded guilty to the charges in 2000 and paid a US$6.5 million fine, and agreed to set up a nationwide environmental management program that has cost more than US$20 million.

But Hamel and the whistleblowers’, including Brian, said BP continued to violate environmental rules and then attempted to cover it up. BP spokesman said those claims “are an outright lie”.

Still, despite the charges leveled against BP and other whistleblowers, which were aired as early as April 2001, the Senate never held hearings on the safety issues that over the years have caused dozens of oil spills at oil production facilities on the North Slope. Drilling in the ANWR and President Bush’s energy bill took a backseat following the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing war in Iraq. Now, with gasoline prices soaring and Bush’s claims that drilling in the ANWR would reduce this country’s dependence on foreign oil lawmakers are being urged to once again investigate the issue and hold hearings before approving any legislation that would open up the ANWR to development.

BP has long been criticized for poorly the North Slope’s aging pipelines, safety valves and other critical components of its oil production infrastructure. The company has in the past made minor improvements to its valves and fire detection systems and hired additional employees but has dropped the ball and neglected to maintain a level of safety at its facilities on the North Slope, Hamel said.

"Contrary to what President Bush has been saying, the current BP Prudhoe Bay operations - particularly the dysfunctional safety valves - are deeply flawed and place the environment, the safety of the operations staff and the integrity of the facility at risk. The president should delay legislation calling for drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” Hamel told the Wall Street Journal.