What are some good books about the history of alaska. Cons the transalaskan pipeline has had many negative impacts on alaska. The transalaska pipeline, partly owned by bp, shut down on tuesday after spilling several thousand barrels of crude oil into backup containers, drastically cutting supply down the main artery. A historical view of the transalaska pipeline with footage from the construction of the pipeline. Thousands of people moved to valdez to be part of the construction boom. Long a resident of the state, he is the author of many works on alaska history. Although numerous authors documented the pipeline construction during its construction, there is, surprisingly, no previous scholarly treatment of this. The presence of crude oil on alaska s north slope was suspected for more than a century. An ebook reader can be a software application for use on a computer such as microsofts free reader. The transalaska pipeline was the object of perhaps the most passionately fought conservation battle in the u. Bps agreement with hilcorp includes selling its 49 percent stake in the trans alaska pipeline system, which carries oil 800 miles through the alaska wilderness, from the north slope oil fields at. The pipeline, which carries more than 15% of americas domestic oil production, is 800 miles long and runs from prudhoe bay in the arctic to the prince william sound port of valdez in the south. Alaska contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the united states.
In 1968, atlantic richfield company and humble oil now exxon confirmed the presence of a vast oil field at prudhoe bay. North slope oil began moving through the 800mile pipeline system on june 20, 1977. Under provisions of the trans alaska pipeline authorization act, north slope crude may not be exported from the united states, its territories or possessions. How big oil gets rich gambling with alaska environment, a status report on the transalaska pipeline system. The transalaska pipeline system taps is one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century. New book explores exxons alaska history, from prudhoe bay to exxon valdez. The collection includes the materials strohmeyer used in the writing of his 1993 book on the transalaska pipeline and oil development in prudhoe bay, extreme conditions.
With the avalanche of big money and new arrivals came new problems. The alaska pipeline offers insights into topics in american history including largescale engineering projects, natural resource management, the american wilderness, life in alaska, native american land claims, energy sources and policy, infrastructure planning and development, and more. The history segments air on american history tv ahtv on cspan3 and the literary eventsnonfiction author segments air on book tv on cspan2. This book looks at the challenging work related to building an oil pipeline under arctic and subarctic conditions while also minimizing the impact on the alaskan environment. Alyeska pipeline taps pipeline operations throughput. Transalaska pipeline, pipeline that connects the oil fields of prudhoe bay in northern alaska, u. Documentary on building the transalaska pipeline system. It stretches from prudhoe bay on alaskas north slope, through rugged and beautiful terrain, to valdez, the northernmost icefree port in north america. Transalaska pipeline system taps conocophillips alaska. The transalaska pipeline was restarted at early sunday morning following permanent repair of the puncture holes. The trans alaska pipeline system starts in prudhoe bay and stretches through rugged and beautiful terrain to valdez, the northernmost icefree point in america. To accomplish this i created a list of 8 facts that i felt help provide a better understanding of the trans alaskan pipeline system. Alaskas transalaska pipeline transformed the state.
A hydraulic clamp was initially placed on the rupture to stop the spill of oil, and then a plug was welded onto the pipeline to permanently repair the damage. Alyeska pipeline service company was established in 1970 to design, construct, operate and maintain the pipeline. Bpowned alaska oil pipeline shut after spill reuters. The construction of the transalaska pipeline system included over 800 miles 1,300 km of oil pipeline, 12 pump stations, and a new tanker port. The transalaska trail alaskas version of the appalachian and pacific crest trails is an oceantoocean multiuse trail spanning 800 miles across alaska, from arctic ocean to pacific tidewater, from prudhoe bay to valdez. Slotnick 19172002 was for many years head of the department of history at the university of alaska. On april 29, 1974, construction begins for the transalaska pipeline, which will transport oil from the north slope of alaska 800 miles to the tanker terminal at valdez. The system includes the 800milelong pipeline, which runs from prudhoe bay to valdez, and the valdez marine terminal, where oil is loaded onto tankers for shipment to market.
Bullet holes in alaska pipeline causes massive spill. The trans alaska pipeline system was originally designed with 12 pump stations, though it was decided that only 11 were needed and a 12th was never built. Washington, march 14 the largest oil spill to occur on the tundra of alaskas north slope has deposited up to 267,000 gallons of thick crude oil over two acres in the sprawling prudhoe bay production facilities, forcing cleanup crews to work in temperatures far below zero to vacuum and dig up. Bp is the largest shareholder in the company which runs the transalaska pipeline. In this section, the secondary negative impacts from the time of the construction of the pipeline to. Before i begin talking about the impacts of the pipeline system, i felt it appropriate to first talk about the pipeline system itself. Next comes the design and construction of the transalaska pipeline system taps, which pratt cites as an example of. On the 800milelong trans alaska pipeline system itself, there was one incidence of a relatively small spill caused by corrosion, one. The transalaska pipeline system, designed and constructed to carry billions of barrels of north slope oil to the port of valdez, has been recognized as a landmark of engineering. Since 1961, trans mountain has reported approximately 84 spills to the cer. Large oil spill in alaska went undetected for days the. Planning and construction of the transalaska pipeline. Impacts on the natives, economy, workers, and the environment of alaska.
A history provides a full chronological survey of the regions and states history, including the precedentsetting alaska native claims settlement act of 1971, which compensated native americans for their losses. State responds to oily water spill at trans alaska pipeline terminal in valdez. This weeks oil spill from the transalaska pipeline totaled about 5,000 barrels, making it the thirdlargest spill ever from the 800mile. The 800milelong trans alaska pipeline system taps is one of the worlds largest pipeline systems, an engineering icon that was the biggest privately funded construction project when constructed in the 1970s. During the 1970s the united states undertook a tremendous project. Workers by the tens of thousands headed north, hoping to make their fortunes working on the pipeline, in a stampede that dramatically affected alaska.
This movie was produced by the national park service in. Transalaska pipeline shot by a drunk earthly issues. Transalaska pipeline spill toll 5,000 barrels anchorage. Anchorage, alaska, jan 9 reuters closure of the trans alaska pipeline on saturday was only the latest incident for the 33yearold oil artery, which carries about 12 percent of the nations. Transalaska pipeline pipeline, alaska, united states. The trans alaska pipeline system was designed and constructed to move oil from the north slope of alaska to the northern most icefree port in valdez, alaska. Alyeska pipeline service corporation acted as the ccmmon agent for the eight companies involved in the pipeline system. The pipeline is often referred to as taps an acronym for the trans alaska pipeline system. That means if water is released from a pipeline or facility, that incident is also reported to the cer. Transalaska pipeline the 800milelong trans alaska pipeline system taps is one of the largest pipeline systems in the world. Alaskas transalaska pipeline transformed the states economy oil began flowing down the transalaska pipeline in 1977, transforming alaska into a wealthy state. The prudhoe bay oil spill 2006 alaskan oil spill was an oil spill that was discovered on march 2, 2006 at a pipeline owned by bp exploration, alaska bpxa in western prudhoe bay, alaska. Beginning in prudhoe bay on alaskas north slope, taps stretches through rugged and beautiful terrain to valdez, the northernmost icefree port in north america. Taps is one of the worlds largest pipeline systems.
The trans alaska pipeline system taps is an oil transportation system spanning alaska, including the trans alaska crudeoil pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the valdez marine terminal. Transalaska pipeline will be useful for the proposed building of a gas pipeline by the. The discovery of oil on alaska s north slope in 1968 spurred the creation of a safe and efficient way to bring those reserves to. The section where the leak occurred is covered by gravel to let caribou pass. Some of the incidents were below the reportable threshold. Construction of the transalaska pipeline system wikipedia. Factboxincidents on the trans alaska pipeline reuters. Initial estimates of the fiveday leak said that up to 267,000 us gallons 6,400 bbl were spilled over 1. A history third edition the largest by far of the fifty states, alaska is also the state of greatest mystery and diversity.
Costs of building the transalaska pipeline were grossly underestimated. The transalaska pipeline system an engineering marvel. The transalaska pipeline system taps is an oil transportation system spanning alaska, including the transalaska crudeoil pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the valdez marine terminal. More than 170 bird species have been identified along the pipeline. The towns population soared to 8,000 people, then settled at 3,500 by january of 1989. As evidenced by this weeks shutdown of a portion of pipeline in the prudhoe bay oil field due to a spill, it remains so today. New book explores exxons alaska history, from prudhoe bay.
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