ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Industry leaders and environmentalists are calling the recent shutdown of the Trans-Alaska pipeline a wake-up call, but for different reasons.
Both sides say there are changes that need to occur if the oil production continues to decline.
Alaska produces 12 percent of the nation's domestic oil daily. When a vulnerability in that system is detected, like the leak at Pump Station 1 that closed the line for several days, analysts say it brings up two contradicting points.
They say either the country is too dependent on oil for energy and should invest in alternatives, or the state needs to bring new oil online to keep the pipeline operational and the economy functioning.
Experts say as throughput decreases, it will be more difficult to maintain the pipeline and might become impractical from an engineering and economic standpoint.
