Forming Alyeska Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

alaska headquarters since 1980s british petroleum in anchorage

in february 1969, before ss manhattan had sailed east coast starting point, trans-alaska pipeline system (taps), unincorporated joint group created arco, british petroleum, , humble oil in october 1968, asked permission united states department of interior begin geological , engineering studies of proposed oil pipeline route prudhoe bay valdez, across alaska. before first feasibility studies began, oil companies had chosen approximate route of pipeline. permission given, , teams of engineers began drilling core samples , surveying in alaska.

because taps hoped begin laying pipe september 1969, substantial orders placed steel pipeline 48 inches (122 cm) in diameter. no american company manufactured pipe of specification, 3 japanese companies—sumitomo metal industries ltd., nippon steel corporation, , nippon kokan kabushiki kaisha—received $100 million contract more 800 miles (1280 km) of pipeline. @ same time, taps placed $30 million order first of enormous pumps needed push oil through pipeline.

in june 1969, ss manhattan traveled through northwest passage, taps formally applied interior department permit build oil pipeline across 800 miles (1,300 km) of public land—from prudhoe bay valdez. application 100-foot (30.5 m) wide right of way build subterranean 48-inch (122-centimeter) pipeline including 11 pumping stations. right of way requested build construction , maintenance highway paralleling pipeline. document of 20 pages contained of information taps had collected route stage in surveying.

the interior department responded sending personnel analyze proposed route , plan. max brewer, arctic expert in charge of naval arctic research laboratory @ barrow, concluded plan bury of pipeline unfeasible because of abundance of permafrost along route. in report, brewer said hot oil conveyed pipeline melt underlying permafrost, causing pipeline fail support turned mud. report passed along appropriate committees of u.s. house , senate, had approve right-of-way proposal because asked more land authorized in mineral leasing act of 1920 , because break development freeze imposed in 1966 former secretary of interior stewart udall.

udall imposed freeze on projects involving land claimed alaska natives in hopes overarching native claims settlement result. in fall of 1969, department of interior , taps set bypassing land freeze obtaining waivers various native villages had claims portion of proposed right of way. end of september, relevant villages had waived right-of-way claims, , secretary of interior wally hickel asked congress lift land freeze entire taps project. after several months of questioning house , senate committees oversight of project, hickel given authority lift land freeze , give go-ahead taps.

taps began issuing letters of intent contractors construction of haul road , highway running length of pipeline route used construction. heavy equipment prepared, , crews prepared go work after hickel gave permission , snow melted. before hickel act, however, several alaska native , conservation groups asked judge in washington, d.c., issue injunction against project. several of native villages had waived claims on right of way reneged because taps had not chosen native contractors project , contractors chosen not hire native workers.

on april 1, 1970, judge george luzerne hart, jr., of united states district court district of columbia, ordered interior department not issue construction permit section of project crossed 1 of claims. less 2 weeks later, hart heard arguments conservation groups taps project violated mineral leasing act , national environmental policy act, had gone effect @ start of year. hart issued injunction against project, preventing interior department issuing construction permit , halting project in tracks.

after department of interior stopped issuing construction permit, unincorporated taps consortium reorganized new incorporated alyeska pipeline service company. former humble oil manager edward l. patton put in charge of new company , began lobby in favor of alaska native claims settlement resolve disputes on pipeline right of way.