With the high wages came high-pressure, grueling work. June 20: The first oil flows from Pump Station 1 down the pipeline. International energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses. It was a massive strike, the largest oil field ever discovered in North America. NA. And I said well, if nobody wants to go, I'll volunteer. 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 market. You know, let's make it stop. Narrator: In February 1969, the oil companies announced their pipeline plans. The 800-mile Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an engineering marvel that has moved 18 billion barrels of oil since startup in 1977. By late summer 1975 there were 27,000 workers on the job, and Frank Moolin was determined to have 400 miles of pipe in place by the end of the year. Alaska State Library The amount of oil subsequently pumped out of the ground will decrease at a steady rate. Alyeska had negotiated no-strike clauses with the unions. var googletag = googletag || {}; NarratorHoward Weaver grew up in Alaska, and was a reporter for theAnchorage Daily Newsduring the pipeline years. Steve Mccutcheon Another is by sending inspection gauges, called pigs through the line on a regular basis which can relay radar scans and fluid measurements back to the launching facility as they travel within the line. Sign up for Alyeskas monthly newsletter here. BP's subsidiary in Alaska will pay a $25mfine under a settlement announced on Tuesday that comes five years after more than 200,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from company pipelines on the. The approximate cost as of 1997 to build the Alaskan Pipeline was $8 billion (does not include interest and post-1997 construction). While Alyeska hauled in millions of tons of pipe, machinery, spare parts, fuel and food, thousands of people descended on Alaska looking for high-paying jobs. 1988 There have been spills from accidents, vandalism and thawed permafrost. December 2: President Jimmy Cartersigns in to law the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). "Don't worry folks, we're taking every precaution. Oil began flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline in 1977, transforming Alaska into a wealthy state. Linefill Volume: 9,059,057 barrels. He promises that construction will be strictly monitored to protect the Alaskan environment. Lesson plans, science fair experiments, field trips, teacher guide, and career corner. He rules in favor of the defendants: the Department of the Interior, Alyeska and the state of Alaska. That's what I was told. You know how it goes. View west to port Valdez, the glacial fiord that will be the Trans-Alaskapipelineterminus, with Robe lake in the foreground the Lowe river dumps its burden of silty rock flour into port Valdez, an arm of the Pacific Ocean at center left. Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. The road will be abandoned one month after its completion in March 1969. And I am sure by the end of the night everybody wanted to quit and just go home. I think you'd find an equal number who would think something very special was lost when Alaska put all its eggs in one basket. The long steel pipeline zigzags across the frozen tundra for 800 miles. You know, it's that steep? Anna Saraceno, Archival Footage googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; 1959 I'd bring trunk loads of it. Pipeline work was supposed to go to Alaska residents and people with special skills first. Nothing like it had ever been done before. It was publicized; it was a big thing, and everybody was looking down your throat. I know there was a saying up there that happiness was an Okie flying south with a Texan under each arm. Dave Smallwood, pipeline truck driver: It was just bumper-to-bumper traffic. Spending more money, changing the design, but it's also the political reality. Sales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions. And the production is being held up because of a widget? Stewart Brandborg (archival): The oil industry has used a campaign of several months, ads on the television, newspaper ads -- full page -- everything they could use including the grossest intimidation of the members of the Senate. It is a system. August 14: The owner oil companies create the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company to oversee the management and building of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. These companies include BP (47%), ConocoPhillips (28%), and Exxon Mobil (20%). Taking 3 years to complete, the 48-inch diameter pipeline was open for business in 1977. We didn't have enough money to live on. It felt like it cut across my heart sometimes to stand on the hillside and look at what it did to this place. "The pipeline allowed Alaska's Native peoples to become a social and economic force," notes Native leader Byron Mallott. Dermot Cole It's the most dangerous job I've ever seen. River and Stream Crossings: 34 major, nearly 500 others. Hugh "Junior" Leslie: Like I said, that was the granddaddy of them all. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! In state court, the suit claims TAPS has failed to honor a previous agreement to hire Native contractors and laborers for the project. With the oil industry lobbying on their behalf for a quick resolution, they received 44 million acres of land and $1 billion from the Federal government. Cargo planes flew in more freight, landing on frozen lakes. Since the proposed pipeline would run directly through land they considered theirs, they believed that the government should settle their claims before construction began. December: Government geologists release a document titled "Some Estimates of the Thermal Effects of a Heated Pipeline in Permafrost," which explains the damaging effects a hot oil pipeline would create in permafrost. They pushed for detailed plans to limit pollution from construction camps, prevent oil spills, and survive earthquakes. The oil industry is the largest contributor to Alaskas economy despite the decline in production. Atigun Pass: 4,739 feet (crest, pipeline MP 6). June 20: Alyeska celebrates the 25th anniversary of pipeline operations. When you're working at night on the North Slope, the wind is usually blowing, the snow is usually blowing. One legal challenge followed another, as environmental groups tested the limits of the new law. We've got our parkas on. More than 800 miles of pipe needed to be welded togethereighty feet at a time in a place where the temperature could reach sixty degrees below zero, and where darkness prevailed through much of the winter. But 420 miles of the route passed through unstable permafrost, where the pipe would have to be built above ground and then insulated to keep the oil fluid in cold weather. How many dollars a day were they spending -- $30 million dollars a day, $20 million dollars a day? More than half were in buried pipe, some beneath rivers. Is the oil crucial, or is the wilderness crucial? Greenhouse gas data, voluntary reporting, electric power plant emissions. I'd fly it in, or truck it in, and then I set up a little operation where I was actually bootlegging whiskey, and it was amazing to me. To get you started, check out some Fast TAPS Facts in the block below and TAPS Fact Tidbits here or on the dropdown menu. You couldn't possibly slow this thing up. Somehow, though, the pipeline was getting built. Much to everyone's surprise, he won by a narrow margin of 80 votes. Work Pad, Length: 790 miles . The one thing not in short supply was people hoping to cash in on the project. It's tough for a woman, for one. April 3: In federal district court Judge George L. Hart issues a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Department of the Interior from issuing a construction permit for a road that crosses native land near Stevens Village. Want more news and information about TAPS and Alyeska? July 28: The first oil reaches the Valdez Marine Terminal. There were 17,000 alone on the Aleutian Islands. Narrator: At the end of March 1975, it was time to start laying pipe. State energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses. Narrator: On the Alaska pipeline, there was always something that couldn't be done that had to be done. From headline news to profiles of the proud pipeline people working on TAPS, find the stories here. Two of the most difficult sections remained -- the rugged mountain passes of the Brooks Range in the north, and the Chugach Mountains in the south. You'd get up at the same time everyday, you'd hit the same bus with the same hands, you'd head out to the same worksite, day after day, seven days a week. March 5: The 10 billionth barrel of oil arrives in Valdez. In 1968,Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon Company, U.S.A.) announce the discovery of a massive oil field in Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's northernmost coast, in the frigid Arctic Circle. It was pretty much insanity. If the environmental movement hadn't challenged the pipeline we would have ended with damage beyond any description. A second suit is filed against Walter J. Hickel, who is now President Richard Nixon'sInterior Secretary, in federal district court. In 1966 Walter J. Hickel, a millionaire real estate developer and entrepreneur, ran for governor of Alaska on the Republican ticket. Ravi Jain The pipeline has delivered some 15 billion barrels of oil so far -- 50 percent more than predicted, though, hardly enough to break America's dependence on foreign oil. February 10: TAPS announces plans to build a hot oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle to Valdez on Alaska's south coast. 1975 If you met another truck that didn't know you was coming, if you just clicked your mirrors you'd call that a good pass. If you detect a spill or other emergency on TAPS, from a safe location, call Alyeska at (907) 835-4709 or 911. January 3: President Dwight D. Eisenhowersigns the official declaration making Alaskathe 49th American state. The Arctic Ocean was frozen solid most of the year. The stories and stats, timelines and tidbits, inspiration and innovation of the iconic Trans Alaska Pipeline System. And in the case of several river crossings actually go back in a couple of miles under a river and look at the weld. You know, it doesn't matter what it takes to get the widget; go get the widget. A few years later he died at the age of 48. The people at Alyeska really took that hard. It was the largest, most destructive oil spill in U.S. history. In the late 1960s, geologists had estimated the North Slope would produce no more than that amount. Larry Houle, pipeline welder's helper: Franklin Bluffs was one of the biggest camps, and I took a count one day, and I'll always remember the number: 1100 men, 97 women. Thirty thousand eight hundred welds are in question. Woman #2: I came to the pipeline because the job was offered to me, and at the time, I wanted to know if there was anything I could do besides being a mother and a wife. Narrator: Environmentalists weren't the only obstacle. No one had ever attempted construction on this scale in such an extreme environment under such intense scrutiny or on such a tight schedule. Prudhoe Bay oil would come out of the ground hot, and as it flowed through a buried pipe, it would thaw any ice-rich permafrost along the way. Narrator: Environmentalists used the law to force studies of everything from caribou migration in the far north to fish spawning in the streams and rivers the pipeline would cross. Despite incredible featherbedding, despite incredible waste, despite incredible theft, in the end, enough guys showed up with enough muscle and blood to build a pipeline. Because you'd end up over in the ditch laying on your side. November 16: In direct response to the oil crisis, President Nixon signs the Trans Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law. In Alaska, whose estimated 734,000 people are represented by one at-large House member, Democrat Mary Peltola, funds of about $1 billion amount to roughly $1,387 per capita, based on 2022 . Diane Benson, pipeline truck driver: There were a lot of people who felt like, I mean, "This is the good life." Extracting the oil from the frozen and pristine wilderness would be a major engineering feat, but transporting it to the refineries was another matter of serious concern. OIL needed in enormous quantities by both the industrial as well as the rapidly developing third-world countries, it is a commodity that significantly influences the economy of many major governments. It was just you know, if you throw enough pickup trucks at this thing sooner or later one will make it up the hill. November 3: A 7.9 magnitude earthquake rocks the pipeline where it intersects with the Denali Fault. "I know you'd find lots of Alaskans who thought that that was the beginning of the state standing on its own feet being able to pay for its own future. Well, I was living on the road back then. It was the last of the frontier. Narrator: Stewart Brandborg, director of the Wilderness Society, decided to lead the fight against federal approval of the pipeline, much of which would cross public land. BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. (BP Alaska) will pay a $25 million civil penalty and carry out a system-wide pipeline integrity management program as part of a settlement for spilling more than 5,000 barrels of crude oil from the company's pipelines on the North Slope of Alaska in 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of . Although the best production year was 1988 when 744,107,855 barrels of crude was shipped, since then the yearly yield has steadily declined to a low of only 270,161,990 barrels in 2007. Thawing permafrost threatens to . We didn't have logbooks. Many areas of the state have not been explored for oil, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). You've got a lot of people that can write real pretty. The freeze stops the federal government from giving the state of Alaska land titles as agreed under the Statehood Act. It's not unusual to get down to minus 45, minus 50, minus 60 degrees in the wintertime. One-third of the states households rely on petroleum products such as fuel oil, kerosene, or propane for heating. Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. These three or four acres right here. All along the line there were equipment shortages, breakdowns, design changes, and unexpected encounters with permafrost. It worked well until the time came time to position and weld the final sections on the steepest part of the slope at which point, the welders balked. But north of the Yukon River, there was nowhere to go. The oil industry and the state of Alaska foresaw these "low throughput" problems beginning in the late 1980s. Frank Moolin: You know, Alaska's got some of the worst environmental and weather conditions in the world. In 1969, when the pipeline was first discussed, the cost was estimated at $900 million. Of course, we weren't hungry for grandeur. Narrator: Alaska, 1976: the welders from Oklahoma were ready to quit. Joseph Pratt, oil historian: The industry was somewhat beyond confidant that they had the know-how and the money to solve any engineering problems they encountered, they believed. January 1: The Department of the Interior submits the first draft of an environmental impact statement. Air Temperature Range Along Route: -80 degrees Fahrenheit to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. I thought, I'm going to buy the whole state! Alyeska Pipeline Service Company: Safely, reliably operating the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Such creative engineering solutions used in the pipeline design and the studies that led to them cost only about $3 million when they were done in the 1970's. Had the pipeline ruptured in the Denali Fault quake, the lost revenue and the cost of repair and environmental cleanup could have easily exceeded $100 million, perhaps many times. Following a number of surveys the only reasonable and cost-effective means for transporting the crude oil from Prudhoe Bay to the closest seaport was determined to be by pipeline. In this TAPS Facts section of the website, you can dive into deeper levels of information about the TAPS tale: the history, the work, the people (and animals! Trans-Alaska Pipeline, in full Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, pipeline that connects the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska, U.S., with the harbour at Valdez, 800 miles (1,300 km) to the south. Everybody who could had some piece of that pipeline. These companies include BP (47%), ConocoPhillips (28%), and Exxon Mobil (20%). Today, the Alaska Pipeline is recognized almost universally as a technological marvel, an energy policy success story that reduced American reliance on Middle Eastern oil, and one of the most. And the people of Stevens Village said, we can't let this happen. Alyeska provided arctic gear and some training in how to use it. Truckers will use the road to transport goods to the North Slope as well as to camps along the way. Four hundred and twenty miles of the pipeline was built above ground because of the unstable soil conditions from the thaw sensitive permafrost and 380 miles below ground. A new law required the government to consider environmental impacts before authorizing any project on public land. Jimmy Pedigo: "Prima donnas" in Alaska; that was a word they used a lot. Those troubles threaten the fragile Alaskan environment, the timetable for delivering oil to the rest of the country, and the price of that oil. Narrator: When it came to a vote the Senate was deadlocked at 49-49. EIA's free and open data available as API, Excel add-in, bulk files, and widgets. 1994 document.documentElement.className += 'js'; BBC Motion Gallery And when you think of that kind of confidence, it does border on arrogance, and it does border on hubris, given what happened next. Oct 28: ARCO joins up with Humble Oil and British Petroleum Oil to form the Trans Alaska Pipeline Systems (TAPS).
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