Alaska Sunday V

Or, How Our Oil Goes Elsewhere

Martha Standing Under the Pipeline
(Click to get a little closer)
Photo taken near the Yukon River Crossing
on the way to the North Slope

One of the major arguments in the 1970s in favor of building the pipeline, was the need for 'energy independence' and a decreased reliance on imported oil to satisfy the United States' petroleum appetite. One of the concessions won by opponents was a requirement by the US Congress that the oil produced be exclusively for the domestic market. However, the Clinton administration's 'globalization' policies have overcome the 'national interest' which was being served by the export ban, and in 1995 President Clinton signed legislation ending the ban on the export of North Slope Crude oil. Alaskan oil is now tankered to China, Japan and Korea, providing new impetus to open up new fields, primarily for expanding Asian markets.

I personally do not think drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge to obtain more oil to support China’s demand and to line the pockets of Oil Mega Companies is the right thing to do. Compared to the US need for oil, there is only a “drop in the bucket” still in the ground up there and none of it slated for US consumption.......

There is an interesting commentary over at Gristmill. Click here.

Oh well, enough of my rant about oil and gas prices.
Next Alaska Sunday will be more cheerful. I promise.

I will leave you with a cheerful note. This Arctic poppy grows in the harshest of environments on the north slope tundra. Gravely soils and bitter winters. But during the brief summer months it provides some beautiful color to the tundra. They are hard to photograph because of the constant wind.

Arctic Poppy (Papaver lapponicum)
Photographed about 10 miles from the Arctic Ocean
South of Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay

Don't forget to scroll down and try the recipe and learn a little more about Monarch Butterflies.

Troy

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