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steady supply of fuels and minerals. "Just give us
the ctlance, and we will get them out- and everyone
will benefit," declare potential developers.
But, say the environmentalists, Alaska is not just a
warehouse of fuel and minerals. It is a region of
unparalleled natural beauty-one of the last great
wilderness areas left. The environmentalists come in
aH shapes and sizes- moderate and extreme,
balanced and fanatical. Many of these groups
bitterly opposed the pipeline. They were afraid of
the effect on the ecology should a massive oil spill
occur. They were also concerned that the pipeline
would block the migration routes of the caribou
herds and disturb the breeding g rounds of severa!
rare species of birds.
(Sorne of their concerns have proveo to be overly
cautious. Sorne mi les back Roy pointed out one of
the pumping stations that keeps the oil moving.
1t
had been re-sited at a cost of many millions of
dollars to avoid the nesting grounds of an
"endangered species." The birds promptly moved
their breeding ground
nearer
to the new site. Sorne
even nested
in
the pumping station!)
Sorne groups go as far as to say
that
no
development should be
allowed- Aiaska should remain
undisturbed- a vast national park.
Sorne arguments can be rather
shortsighted. One undoubtedly
sincere young lady told me that
her group was most upset with
the "ruthless exploitations" by the
oi l companies. However, she
added that they were generally
satisfied with the activities of the
military, because they site their
installations with a genuine regard
for the wildlife and the landscape.
J
asked her if perhaps facilities
over-engineered) to avoid harm to the wildlife and
their habitat.
But the consistent wrangling is having an effect
on Alaska's future. Developers resent that millions of
acres have already been placed off limits to
exploration or development. They feel they have
quite enough problems with the
environment
without
having to contend with harassment from
environmentalists.
In this harsh climate, exploration of any kind is
horrendously expensive. Delays cost dearly. To
accomplish anything up here you need
years
of lead
time. Sorne operations can only be carried on a few
weeks out of the year, like, for example, bringing in
heavy equipment by sea in the brief period when the
ice shelf retreats offshore. If you miss that window
of opportunity- that's it until next summer. Many
organizations who carne with money, exper tise and
enthusiasm to explore have packed up and gone
home in frustration.
These, then, are the arguments, and it is hard to
spend time in Alaska without being tempted to take
sides. The zeal and confidence of the oil men is
contagious, but the voice
of caution from
moderate environment–
alists is hard to ignore.
There is another much
more essential aspect to
this question, however,
that both sides have
overlooked.
It
must be
considered if Alaska and
Alaskans are ever to
realize their full
potentia!.
The Bigger lssues
The survival of
~
§
civilization does not just
¡
depend on the continued
!
availability of energy and
for nuclear bombers and missiles
don't pose a greater potential
threat to the environment than an
oil spill. That ended the
conversation. 1 got the feeling that
she had not thought of that.
The Alyeska pipeline at Fairbanks, Alaska,
midway from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.
raw materials. We are
now producing more
than ever before, and yet
each year we stand in
But not all conservationists are
fanatics or amateurs, nor their fears unfounded. A
massive oil spill could be disastrous, and once a
species becomes extinct- it's gone. No amount of
biological technology can bring it back. There is sti ll
much we don' t know about the Arctic, and we must
be careful. As the Sierra C lub, the leading
protectionist group, explains, "We don 't stand in
blind opposition to progress; but rather, opposition to
blind progress." The club has formed a powerful
lobby that forces the oil companies and other
developers to think long and hard before plunging
ahead with a new venture. And then, to proceed
with caution.
Because of this, the North Slope oil development
has so far had little negative impact on the
environment. The pipeline was engineered (sorne say
September 1983
greater pcril of destruction. Science, technology,
inventiveness and engi neeri ng have not
of themselves
brought us to this impasse. The most primitive and
undeveloped men still find ways to hate and destroy
each other. But no scientific breakthrough has ever
led us closer to controlling the real cause of man's
problems- his human nature. Men just do not know
how to live together in peace, whether they live in
the Stone Age or the Space Age. Anything we do
and everywhere we go ends in envy, hatred, misery
and anger. Alaska- the magnificent wilderness- is
becoming just another place for men to go and
eventually hate, resent, exploit and take from one
another.
Alaskan newspapers tell the same dismal tale of
crime, suicide, divorce,
(Continued on page 30)
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