Introduction

The Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility believes that whistleblowers are the first line of defense against threats to worker safety, public health and the environment in Alaska. Conscientious employees in government and private industry who "blow the whistle" on safety and environmental hazards protect all of us. These courageous individuals must be able to speak the truth without fear of reprisals.

Whistleblowers are not new to Alaska. They have been on the front lines of efforts to hold the oil and timber industries and government agencies accountable for decades.

Perhaps best known are the quality-control inspectors who sacrificed their careers to protect worker safety and the environment on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the early 1990s. One out of every ten barrels of oil the United States consumes daily flows through the pipeline. When the Alyeska Pipeline Service Corporation sought permission to build and operate the pipeline system on behalf of seven major oil companies, it promised that elaborate environmental safeguards would protect worker safety and minimize the chances of--and damage caused by--oil spills.

Whistleblowers working on the pipeline have made it clear that Alyeska has not yet met its promise. The company's history demonstrates that the future safety of pipeline operations depends on the willingness of honest employees to speak out about threats to public and worker safety and the environment. For example, in 1994 workers identified welding problems and warned of leaks at pipeline check valves. But Alyeska and government monitors ignored the employees' concerns, resulting in a 30,000 gallon oil spill on the pipeline in the Alaska Range in May 1996.

The pipeline is not the only part of Alaska's oil industry in which workers have exposed serious problems. The most recent example comes from the North Slope. After eight months of fruitless efforts to remedy the situation from the inside, a concerned Doyon Drilling employee blew the whistle on illegal waste disposal practices at British Petroleum's Endicott oil field on Alaska's North Slope in August 1995.

Whistleblowers also have been key to identifying environmental degradation caused by other industries in Alaska. For example, in the timber industry, federal and state employees have blown the whistle on destructive industry practices in Tongass National Forest and other areas. Evidence shows that the timber industry has failed to follow timber harvest practices that protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in the Tongass -- and that government agencies have done little to correct these problems. Again, the stakes are high for Alaskans and their environment. The nation's largest National Forest, the Tongass is home to over 300 wildlife species. It also supports the economy of southeast Alaska, which relies not only on logging but also on fishing and tourism.

Despite the importance of their concerns, conscientious government and industry employees are often reluctant to speak out. There are intense economic and cultural pressures to be a team player and not to rock the boat. Employees who do speak out are often rewarded with harassment and retaliation by their own employers. Undercover investigations, demotions, transfers, firings, and blacklisting of whistleblowing employees are not uncommon.

These pressures to keep quiet are compounded by employees' feelings of isolation and by ignorance about their rights in the workplace. Too often, employees know little about the laws that exist to protect whistleblowers and about the organizations dedicated to supporting and protecting their rights. Without this knowledge and external support, the pressures to remain silent too often prevail over an employee's concerns about worker safety and the environment.