The Pipeline

In 1968 oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, the very north of Alaska. Oil companies (as they so like to do) formed an alliance to get their oil from field to market. They purchased the pipe and were all set to commence building. One little problem - who owned the land? It took nearly a decade to sort out all the details but they were finally able to begin construction of the Alaska pipeline - 800 miles of pipeline to get the oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.

The temperature of the oil is about 115 degrees travelling through the pipe and so putting them underground would not always work as some of the territory covered was permafrost (remains below freezing for at least two years). Putting the warm oil through this permafrost would create marshy areas, altering the ecosphere of the area (though I seriously doubt THAT was a major concern of the oil companies). Because of this some 420 miles of the pipeline are above ground - 5 to 10 feet above ground to allow for caribou migration.

When above ground, the pipes are not actually attached to anything. The pipe sits on the support on a frame with teflon pads which allows for the pipe to slide in the event of an earthquake. There was a 7.5 earthquake in the interior not too long ago and the entire above ground portion slithered as it was designed to do!

The project took nearly two years to complete and incurred cost overruns of 1000%! The oil started flowing in June 1977, arriving in Valdez almost a month later. And the oil companies started making a profit only ONE WEEK LATER! Though it flows now at about 70% of what it once did (because the oil is after all running out), the pipeline has exceeded its intended lifespan by over a decade.

~later, tw