Face to Face
Rob Shoaf
Joint Pipeline Office Executive Liaison
Published January 2003

Rob Shoaf estimates that he has had 10 to 15 different positions since he started at Alyeska as a lawyer in November 1981. To name a few, he has been a litigator, lobbyist, a business unit leader and, now, a liaison to regulators. He is looking forward to helping the company implement its vision of renewal, including system renewal and strategic reconfiguration.

What was your role in the right-of-way renewal?

I wasn’t on the renewal team but I worked closely with them to help them interact with the Joint Pipeline Office. At the start of the renewal process, it was essential for the company to understand what we needed to do to meet BLM and DNR’s criteria for renewal.

What was the renewal process like?

One of the regulators described it as ‘compliance oversight on steroids.’ It was definitely rigorous. The government did an excellent job of laying out the process, having a strategy to complete it and really sticking to that strategy. They met the procedural requirements and didn’t allow themselves to get distracted. The review was very thorough. Our project team did a great job. Part of the reason it went so well was the improvements the company made during the last five years; that gave us a solid foundation to show we meet the government’s requirements for compliance.

What changed in the last five years?

We’ve become more systematic about doing our work. Four or five years ago, when COO Dan Hisey was in Valdez, there was a concerted effort to clean up all the small stuff. The company has been very responsive to what regulators tell us. We have established a more open work environment, so that issues are brought up and dealt with. We’ve made progress on the Alaska Native Hire Program and Alaska Native Utilization Program. What makes an open environment really work is when supervisors are responsive to workers’ concerns. That’s where we’ve made progress.

What’s been the most rewarding aspect?

The company’s recovery from the low point of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. There were setbacks along the way, but people stuck with it and we made important changes. I’m very proud of our operational record since then. It hasn’t been flawless, but over the years, we’ve reduced the risk and when there have been problems, the company has been extraordinarily responsive to fixing them.