Putting Alaskans to Work.

• Author: PARMELEE, CATHERINE
• Position: Brief Article

A study released in January was eye-opening, according to the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and the Alaska Support Industry, Alliance, which commissioned the report. Study researchers, Information Insights and The McDowell Group, were able to pinpoint industry labor and spending by evaluating 1999 purchasing and payroll data from 13 oil and gas producers, refiners and transportation companies, and a majority of their contractors and suppliers.

The Economic Impact of the Oil and Gas Industry on Alaska revealed the industry directly spends $422 million on payroll and $1.7 billion in goods and services in the state. Overall this spending generates 33,600 jobs.

Regionally, oil and gas is the largest industry in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai and Valdez. The industry creates more jobs for MatSu borough residents than any other industry. More than one in four of Kenai employment is oil and gas related. The industry accounts for 17 percent of Valdez-area employment and 28 percent of the area's payroll.

A couple of oil-field service providers in the state shared their approach to this significant economic contribution.

When Doyon Ltd. incorporated its drilling subsidiary in the early 1980s, the Native corporation was looking to gain more than financial profit. They also wanted an investment that would include career chances for shareholders that stretched beyond temporary employment spurts and provided a long-term livelihood.

Doyon Drilling Inc. created an ongoing roughneck development program. Roughnecking ecntails heavy work, tripping drill stems and down-hole tools for controlled drilling of directional holes. After a comprehensive selection process, program participants undergo a thorough training curriculum that covers the basics of the drilling business: safety, geology, reservoir drilling techniques, as well...