Alaska Pipeline Research Paper

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jenny 12 April, 2012 Oil Pipeline in Alaska “Built in the 1970s after oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay (1968), the 48-inch diameter, 800-mile pipeline links Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean with the terminal at Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in the Western Hemisphere.” (Aurora Webmasters). The oil pipeline in Alaska is modem project. It was perfect designed for environmental safety; however, it was upsetting animal trails. It was also representatives for oil industry and developed economic in Alaska. Alaska pipeline is the largest pipeline system in the world. The pipeline was worth approximately “$8 billion in 1977, largest privately funded construction project at that time.” ( Alyeska Pipeline Service Company) The pipeline…show more content…
“Teams of scientists who are adept on researching animal habitat have been dispatch to come to Alaska to study about their habitat, and how the TAP would disturb animal habitat by doing some intimation of the oil compressor when transporting the oil through the pipe line” (Jakimchuk) fact from disturbance studies of caribou and other mammals in the Yukon and Alaska, 1972 /K. H. McCourt, Alaskan Arctic Gas Study Company. The greatest population of animal in Alaska near the pipeline was the caribou. The TAP did some minor effect on the caribou path. The path of the caribou is little slightly off its original course but that didn’t really harm them, in addition to that, the effect only applies to two of the twelve populate caribou pack. However the effect didn’t harm the caribou but the woodland cover did take some damage and couldn’t grow back to its original state. Also with the TAP replacing oil tanker transporting oil, have reduce the dead rate of animal by far half of the tanker would do. There also some research, what if road were to build across Alaska it would harm the environment greater than the TAP. Car, oil tanker, truck would pollute the environment when there is road traffic or not. Carbon dioxide from automobile would cause the dieback of forest. The Trans-Alaskan pipeline is also the safest way to transport oil, and its economic…show more content…
It is also contributed to United States oil industry by seventeenth percent of produce oil, as said by (Pam Barrett pg. 43) “Oil is by far the largest of Alaska’s industries”, and (R. Warren Anderson ) “Former Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton summed up its success in 2003 that Today the pipeline produces 17 percent of our domestic petroleum. It has pumped nearly 14 billion barrels of oil and $400 billion into our economy”, it gave jobs for several thousand people, Alyeska workers and sub-contractors. The pipeline has help Alaska which is the most heavily tax state to the most tax-free state. Alaska has profit more than half of the income from the pipeline has produces and the other profit goes to the United States. Which make Alaska more prosperity, before the TAP project even start, many oil company has invest into the project to get better profit, and they did get profit from the pipeline. Even through TAP has transport so many ton of oil sin 1977, but did not affect the world oil price because it did not fully working at it maximum potential and with the decline of outside production in Alaska were not approved until 1980s. The enormous pipeline project has interest many people from around the world to go to see it including artist and map creator; this has made an opportunity for touring business. The touring business also help Alaska economy rise into a prosperity state. Today however the
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