Dec. 12, 1997 -- FAIRBANKS -- The Bureau of Land Management will present a Partnership for the Public Lands Award to Alyeska employees Jim Sweeney and Brad Chastain for developing and implementing Alyeska's progressive Contaminated Sites Program, which has helped restore previously contaminated sites on BLM managed public lands.

The award ceremony will be held 11 a.m. Monday, December 15, 1997, at Alyeska's Fairbanks facility, 701 Bidwell.

The award from the BLM's Northern District recognizes the efforts of Jim Sweeney and Brad Chastain, of Alyeska's Environment Department, for raising the standards of private industry and public agency cooperation, resulting in improved protection of human health and the environment. Sweeney and Chastain managed assessment and remediation of the Galbraith pipeline camp pad on the Dalton Highway during the period 1994-97. The success of that project has led Alyeska to continue the same proactive approach at other camp pads, such as Toolik and Prospect.

An increased awareness of historical contamination at the Galbraith camp pad developed during the BLM's planning for a recreational campground at the site. When contacted, Alyeska volunteered to assess and remediate the site, using the highest technical standards available. Throughout the project, Sweeney and Chastain worked closely with BLM and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation staff during the extension assessment and cleanup activities.

Alyeska's Contaminated Sites Rating program is now being applied at other camp pad sites along the Dalton Highway, including Prospect and Toolik camps. "We appreciate this team management approach by Alyeska," said Northern District Manager Dee Ritchie. "We see their work as raising the standards of environmental protection in Alaska."