BP's "Buddy System" for Politicians

A report commissioned by BP "to investigate corrosion-related oil pipeline spills last year in Prudhoe Bay ... offers a rare glimpse inside the London-based oil giant's corporate tactics in Alaska," writes Wesley Loy. The report, produced for BP by consultants at Booz Allen Hamilton, details BP's "formal relationship matrix," which matches up company executives with Alaska and federal officials. For example, BP's Randal Buckendorf liaises with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Buckendorf is a former DEC employee with "long-standing personal friendships and professional interactions" with the state regulator, according to the report. BP Alaska's president "is to deal with the commissioner of the [state] Department of Natural Resources." The report warned that after last year's pipeline leaks, "many regulatory relationships have become strained." A BP spokesperson said the "relationship matrix" was a standard approach to maintain "good, consistent lines of communication" with regulatory agencies.