Environmentalists urge US to plan ‘phasedown’ of Alaska’s key oil pipeline amid climate concerns

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Environmental groups on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior to review climate impacts related to the decades-old trans-Alaska pipeline system and develop a plan for a “managed phasedown” of the 800-mile (1,287-kilometer) pipeline, which is Alaska’s economic lifeline.

The request comes more than a year after the Biden administration approved the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, a decision that was welcomed by Alaska political leaders seeking to stem a trend of declining oil production in the state and by many Alaska Native leaders in the region who see the project as economically vital for their communities. Willow, which is being developed by ConocoPhillips Alaska, could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day.

Some of the groups who filed the petition, including the Center for Biological Diversity and Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, are among those who have asked an appeals court to overturn the approval of Willow. A decision is pending.

Oil flow through the trans-Alaska pipeline system averaged around 470,000 barrels a day last year. At its peak, in the late 1980s, about 2 million barrels a day flowed through the line, which began operating in 1977.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-parsely-url=«https%3A%2F%2Fapi.parsely.com%2Fv2%2Frelated%3Fapikey%3Dtest%26url%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Falaska-oil-pipeline-climate-study-4d2929115f3e31495d21cdbc9ceaa322%26limit%3D9%26respect_empty_results%3D1%26pub_date_start%3D2024-03-14» data-parsely-title=«Related» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline