North Slope oil and United States energy supply

Journal Article · · J. Energy Dev.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7253371

Cahill, E J; Basye, D E

Acceptable ways to move Alaskan oil into markets are needed and can be expedited if the government will move to permit exchanges of foreign crude, approve pipelines to the east, and remove restrictive price and environmental controls. The possibility of delaying or shutting in production of Alaskan oil because the West Coast, particularly California, has maintained inflexible economic and environmental standards is unfair to the rest of the country. Such a policy would increase our vulnerability to Middle East political and price pressures and would worsen the balance-of-payments and employment pictures. Evaluation of the total oil requirements for the nation illustrates the importance of making North Slope oil available. The transportation bottleneck, intensified by local and state resistance to proposed pipeline routes, could be met in the short term by tankers and the use of idle gas pipelines like the California to Texas Line or reversing the flow in lines like the Trans-Mountain Line. Proposals for new lines include the Northern Tier and Kitimat Lines. Other bottlenecks can be relieved with interim exchange agreements between the United States, Japan, and Canada and ways can be found to relieve the economic uncertainties that have kept West Coast refineries from investing in port and refinery modifications. (DCK)

• Research Organization: Standard Oil Co. of California
• OSTI ID: 7253371
• Journal Information: J. Energy Dev.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Energy Dev.; (United States) Vol. 2:2; ISSN JENDD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
022000 -- Petroleum-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
024000 -- Petroleum-- Storage-- (-1989)
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294002* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
ALASKA OIL PIPELINE
AVAILABILITY
CHARGES
ECONOMICS
ENERGY DEMAND
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SUPPLIES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INVESTMENT
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
PIPELINES
PUBLIC RELATIONS
SHIPS
TANKER SHIPS
TRANSPORT
USA