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temperature d iese! fue! will freeze, steel can
shatter like glass, and a man cannot live more
lhan a few minutes witbout special protection. The
ground is permanently frozen (permafrost) lo a
deplh of several hundred feel and the sea remains
blocked with ice for al! but six weeks of the year.
Many schemes were advanced for getting the oil
out- including submarines thal could
cruise beneath the ice and even a Reel of
giant aircraft that could fl y the crude oil
south. But finally the decision was made
that the safest and most efficient way was
to build a pipeline from Prud hoe Bay to
Valdez on lhe south coast of Alaska. The
roule !ay across 800 of the most difficult
miles on earth. Three mounlain ranges and
800 rivers and streams had lo be crossed.
Special precautions had to be taken to
make sure the oil (which comes out of the
earth scalding hot and stays warm on its
six-day l r ip to Valdez) didn't melt the
permafrost. lf that happened, portions of
the pipeline could sink-and eventually
break in lwo.
and Gas Association said to me as he unrolled a map
of the state. Superimposed on the map were severa!
areas shaded and crosshatched in bright colors. They
represented Alaska's oil and gas reserves.
"And these are just tbe ones we know
about- places that we believe
cou/d
produce," he
explained. Most of the state has not been thoroughly
New malerials and techniques had lo be
developed to salve problems never befare
encounlered. Construction began on April
29, 1974, and by August 1977 lhe first
shipmenl of North Slope oil left Valdez
DriUing for oil at -55° F. (-48°
C.).
for the southern markets. The pipeline is one of the
most audacious projects that man has
accomplished-a triumph of technology and
determination over almost insurmountable odds.
Bul not everyone appreciated that triumph.
Development Versus
Conservation
From lhe beginning the
pipeline-and indeed the
whole concepl of
harvesting Alaska's
natural resources- has
met opposition from
those delermined to
preserve lhe
environment. The
pipeline, they said,
would disrupt the
delicale ecology of lhe
Arct ic and cause more
i
harm to already
§
endangered species.
¡
This conflict between
" the pro-development and
i!'
the pro-conservation
Tanker loads crude at Valdez,
carnps continues as a
Alaska, southern end of pipeline. bitter poinl of contention
in Alaska.
Those who want to develop Alaska believe that
lhe world needs more energy. Alaska is one of tbe
earth's last unexploited treasure troves.
" Just look at this," an execut ive of Alaskan Oil
20
explored for oi l and gas yet. Nobody knows for
certain exactly how much líes beneath the surface.
Sorne have estimated that Alaska's reserves are
comparable to those of Saudi Arabia. But even the
most conservative agree that there is much, much
more to be found. "And look- we have only just
begun ," the executive continued. "These are the
only areas producing at the moment." He pointed to
three tiny ci rcles on the map-two above the Arctic
Ci rcle and one in Cook l nlet, just south of
Anchorage. The North Slope oil field alone contains
30 percent of the proven North American reserves.
Oil is just the start. With the oil comes natural
gas. At the moment there is no way to transport
this, so it is pumped back underground.
The northern regions of the world are rich in the
strategic minerals without which modern civilization
could not survive-copper, nickel, gold, silver, zinc,
beryllium, tin, chromium and molybdenum. Canada
and Russia mine their Arctic territories extensively.
By contrast, tbere is not one hardrock mining
operation of any significance in Alaska, eve_n though
the indication is that the territory is as rich or
maybe even richer than neighboring countries.
Alaska also has good farmland, millions of acres of
virgin forests and trillions of tons of high-grade coa!.
The 49th state is the g reatest untapped storehouse of
energy and reserves in the United States-and
possibly the world.
Alaska does not give up its wealth easily. I t is a
wi ld and sometimes brutal country, but developers
have risen to tbe challenge. They believe that the
continued progress of civilization depends on a
The PLAIN TRUTH