NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Pipeline Operators to Start Big Repairs

Operators of the 800-mile Trans Alaska Pipeline announced that the pipeline and Valdez terminal soon will undergo the most extensive maintenance, repair and spill prevention activity since the line was opened in 1977. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., a consortium of seven oil companies, will spend $450 million and employ more than 1,000 workers in a wide-ranging series of projects, said Ivan Henman, vice president of engineering and projects. The repairs should have a negligible effect on pipeline flow, Henman said. About one-third of the spending will go toward repairing corroded sections of the pipeline.