Knowles

Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles and BP Amoco signed a major agreementlast week that clears the way in the state for the oil giant’sproposed acquisition of Atlantic Richfield Co. But still awaitingBP Amoco is its biggest nemesis — the Federal Trade Commission(FTC), where the merger reportedly has run into a serious snag overantitrust concerns. BP Amoco is hoping the Alaska deal, which callsfor the largest divestiture of production assets in the state’shistory, will help it score some points with the agency.