If one of its vital pumping stations were attacked in the winter, its nine million barrels of hot oil could congeal into the world's largest Chapstick.
-Armory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins "Fools Gold in Alaska"
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) splits the state of Alaska . It runs north and south and is 800 miles long, 48-inches in diameter, crosses three mountain ranges, and 800 rivers. Over 15 billion barrels of oil have passed through it. The cost of building was 8 billion dollars in (1977 money). The Dalton Highway or Haul Road runs along side this massive structure. Did somebody say road trip?
Debate about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (specifically the 1.8 million acre section of its coastal plain) has again resurfaced. Back in 1973 this idea was shot down. In order to drill in this area we have to consider two questions:
1. Is it going to cost more to get the oil out then its worth?
(Things to consider)
a. The pipeline is old and in need of constant maintenance.
b. Its cold in Alaska.
c. Even The Strait of Hormuz (off the coast of Iran) is easier to control than 800 miles of rugged terrain.
The TAPS has been sabotaged, bombed twice, and shot at more than 50 times. In 2000 a terrorist planned to blow the whole pipeline up. Before doing this he was going to buy energy securities at low prices.
My Bias:
Young hunting dogs in Britain were trained with red herrings. These smelly fish were used to distract the dogs from following the original fainter scent of the prey. Eventually the dogs would ignore the stronger scent and focus on what mattered most getting that fox.
Since I was 10 I have camped in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota many times. Enough said.