Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Operators of Alaska Pipeline Draw Fire

The operators of the trans-Alaska pipeline displayed contempt for quality control, may have destroyed documents and fostered a “repressive atmosphere” to stifle critics, Congress was told. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management said a new study has revealed potentially risky practices by Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates the pipeline, and its owners. They include Exxon Corp., British Petroleum and Atlantic Richfield Co. Appearing before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, officials of those corporations acknowledged some shortcomings and promised that deficiencies would be corrected.