Michael Baker Jr. Inc. was the successful bidder for a contract to assist the federal coordinator’s office in the effort to construct a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48 states. The firm has extensive Arctic oil and gas pipeline expertise, said Drue Pearce, federal coordinator for Alaska natural gas transportation projects, in announcing the award on 12 September. Michael Baker will help the federal coordinator’s office establish a local presence in Alaska; develop an information management system to allow federal, state, and Canadian agencies to share data where appropriate; and help the federal coordinator’s office incorporate lessons learned from construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the former federal inspector’s office to develop a strategy for constructing the gas pipeline, she said.