The Trans-Alaska Pipeline and Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Prince William Sound

Posted by Fin on 26 August 2009

Saying goodbye to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, as we turned east towards the Yukon Territory and the Canadian Border the other day, left me with contradictory and conflicting emotions. On one side I was glad to see the back of such a hideous eyesore and scar on the landscape and constant reminder of man's reliance on dirty fossil fuels. On the other side, the pipeline had been a companion to us, in remote and isolated lands, with nothing but mountains and tundra for hundreds of miles, this incredible feat of engineering guided us South day after day for the first few weeks during times when we felt insecure and alone.

The pipeline is 800 miles long and stretches like a giant anaconda from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Ocean down through interior Alaska to Valdez, where oil is offloaded onto barges to continue to the lower 48 and abroad. 380 miles of the pipeline are buried, the rest above ground sitting on 10 foot high brackets that zig zag across the ground to accommodate earthquake movements and extreme weather and snow. The pipeline took 8 years to build and was completed in 1977 at a cost of $8 billion. There are 12 pump stations along the pipeline that use Rolls-Royce jet engines to pump the oil over the high mountains and passes. We are told that at its peak, the pipeline has been known to pump out 32million barrels of oil a day - check the current price of a barrel of oil - now one understands why George W was so keen to open up other areas in Alaska for drilling. Following the pipeline for many days across the wilderness, on the surface it certainly didn't appear to be having any impact on wildlife, for hundreds of 'crossings' were incorporated into the design. But the direct consequences of drilling and of course the catastrophic impact of oil consumption on the earth's climate is the key issue: 32 million barrels of oil a day and this is just one oil field.

The impacts don't just stop at atmospheric pollution from emissions. In 1989 a 1km long tanker, the Exxon Valdez struck a reef near Valdez spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil from Prudhoe Bay into Prince William Sound - the very water body Alex and I sailed through the other day with killer whales, seals, sea otters, dolphins alongside many sea birds inhabiting the area. It was the biggest oil spill in US history. About 1300 miles of coastline were polluted. 1/4 million sea birds, including 200 bald eagles died, along with 3000 sea otters, 300 harbour seals and 22 killer whales. Salmon fisheries were also badly affected. Ten thousand people were involved in the clean up and cost Exxon $2billion. Only 11% of the oil was recovered. Though Exxon Mobil as it is now renamed continues to make appeals to reduce payments, I have little sympathy for the company that made a world record profit of $36 billion in 2005.

Traveling through Alaska, a state of immense size but also beauty by push bike does make you very aware of man's utter reliability on oil (people can't get anywhere without 4 x 4s or cessnas), but it also makes you equally aware of the devastating impacts of its use. It is finally time to leave Alaska - I have been humbled by the generosity and kindness of the people in the north, and amazed by the landscape and scenery. Bye to the USA for now, see you again in a month or so.   These last few pictures are of the ride from Anchorage via Cook Inlet to catch the ferry at Whittier to sail across Prince William Sound to Valdez. We are no in Tok and will blog again asap!

43 comments. Tags: Pipeline, Oil, fin. Location: Tok, USA