Employee Profile
Shelly Martin
Management Systems Specialist II

DESCRIBE SOME OF THE WORK YOU DO FOR ALYESKA.

I oversee a database of our regulatory requirements (there’s about 850 of them), regulatory specialists (about 100), methods of compliance and associated work tasks. I monitor and coordinate changes to regulatory requirements, and provide training and direction to regulatory specialists and their supervisors. I also help educate TAPS employees about the Regulatory Compliance Process and bring attention to any significant regulatory issue we face (i.e., TWIC and Low Sulfur Fuel are two recent issues with a huge impact on our work).

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Since my softball days are over, I’ve taken up a much more serene sport called golf. I also love working in my gardens.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY FOR A REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST?

There is no typical day! In fact, there’s a new challenge every day. It’s a very hard job because we know tasks must be completed to stay in compliance, but we often can’t do the work ourselves.

Instead, we put in a lot of hard work to get procedures and training courses in place, because if just one step of the method isn’t followed, the work can be gone in a flash (and cost us thousands of dollars). Regulatory specialists also act as a liaison between our regulators and operations folks to ensure there is agreement with the interpretation of a regulatory requirement, and they are vigilant protectors of the environment, safety, and integrity of the pipeline and its people.

AESTHETICALLY, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE PIPELINE AND WHY?

Since I began work on TAPS at the Valdez Marine Terminal, I am partial to that area. The VMT is so full of contradictions. It’s a tough and rugged environment yet a beautiful site on a sunny day or all lit up in winter. It’s remotely located, yet state-of-the-art equipment and technology is available, and it’s sometimes cold and dreary yet the people are always warm and upbeat.