Richard Campbell BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

• Author: BONHAM, NICOLE A.
• Position: Interview

It has been a hot season of speculation for Alaskans, regulatory experts and industry watchdogs, all struggling to forecast the impacts of a marriage between oil giants BP Amoco and Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO).

At the helm of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.--the state's largest oil producer-is Richard C. Campbell, who oversees the company's oil and gas exploration, its North Slope development and production, its trans-Alaska oil pipeline system interests and various North Slope oil sales pipelines.

Taking a hard-line approach on protecting the environment, also BP Amoco's commitment to Alaska, Campbell claims the move will actually translate into more opportunity for other oil industry players, not less--and more money for Alaska.

First a geologist, he assumed the company's reins in Alaska on January 1, 1997 after five years as president of Bogota-based BP Exploration Columbia. Campbell joined BP in 1969 and has worked in field, management and executive positions within the company.

Campbell is vice president of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association board and serves on the boards of Commonwealth North, The Nature Conservancy and the UAA Community Advisory Council.

Using pre-merger numbers, BP Exploration employs 705 people. The company also reports it spent almost $800 million conducting business with Alaska-based and Alaskan-owned businesses in 1998.

ABM: What was the impetus for this year's announcement of a merger? Why now?

CAMPBELL: Growth is the reason that BP Amoco and ARCO are combining together. In Alaska, it's going to mean more opportunity for everyone in the oil industry: more investment, more production and more state revenue. The combination will make it possible to increase North Slope oil production 150,000 barrels per day. That's quite a turnaround when you consider that North Slope production is half of what it was a decade ago. That's why this is the right move, at the right time.

We wouldn't be increasing our commitment to Alaska if we didn't feel good about our partnership with the state. The state is working with the industry to expand access to prospective acreage on the North Slope, to move North Slope natural gas to market and to facilitate development of projects like Northstar and Alpine. (Portions of Alpine will be operated by another oil company, the result of a proposed agreement between the state and BP Amoco.) If we continue to work together, we can increase North Slope oil production over the next five years and...