Wohlforth swings and misses with column on oil, pipeline

The good folks at Alaska Dispatch News served up a dog's breakfast on Nov. 15 with columnist Charles Wohlforth's characterization of the state's energy corridor, none other than the backbone of Alaska's energy link to the Lower 48 — the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). Wohlforth focused on a disparate collection of emotions but ignored the very obvious facts that have made TAPS an unparalleled success, not just for the economy of the state but as testament to the commitment of generations of Alaskans.

[Commentary on pipeline oil flow is flat wrong]

Let's review the facts. Alyeska and TAPS is a massive job creator for the state. During its peak construction summers (1975-1976), Alyeska employed 21,000  workers. The company will celebrate its 40th anniversary this coming June and it now employs more than 2,000 employees and contractors, with 95 percent of Alyeska Pipeline employees living in Alaska. Of those employees, more than two dozen have been with the company since its start. On top of all this, 70 percent of Alyeska's contract partner companies are headquartered in Alaska.

These numbers testify to Alyeska's importance to communities across the state. Indeed, Alaskans have a clear understanding that TAPS and Alyeska stand for much more than an energy pipeline, a fact that the column ignores entirely.

To that end, Alyeska is a proud employer that has helped shepherd TAPS' record of success for decades. While some activists attempted to prevent the pipeline's construction, citing environmental concerns, exaggerated fears proved to be without merit. In fact, one major concern was the pipeline's effect on the caribou populations of the state. Alaska officials have now acknowledged that the caribou population actually grew after the construction of TAPS.

Additionally, TAPS has served as a model for other pipelines under consideration. In 2013, the House Energy and Commerce Committee produced a paper with recommendations for Keystone XL and used the Alyeska pipeline as an example of a job done right.

[Alaska pipeline can operate without offshore Arctic oil]

As we all know, TAPS moves oil that is essential for Alaska and America. At its peak in 1988, the pipeline transported 2.1 million barrels a day. In California, a decrease in the volume of oil in TAPS directly correlates to an increase in refinery imports, much of it from overseas. There has not been and will not be a decrease in the energy needs across America for some time, and less oil from Alaska spurs more oil tankers from overseas to make up the difference. The entire United States suffers when the Lower 48 does not have ready access to the energy resources that TAPS moves.

Wohlforth's column ignores the massive success of TAPS, despite repeated past efforts to thwart its creation. He disregards the economic benefits Alyeska brought to the state in the form of tens of thousands of jobs. The author's promise that he's not an anti-energy activist because he knows many from the industry is nothing short of silly.

By suggesting that the professional and committed Alaskans who have managed one of the world's great engineering achievements can be trusted only if overseen by environmentalists speaks volumes about the mindset of the author. The same environmentalists who tried to prevent this wildly successful pipeline from ever moving a single barrel of oil were wrong during its development, and are just as wrong now.

Lucas Frances is a spokesman for the Arctic Energy Center, a joint initiative of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of America, founded to further public understanding of the science, technology and opportunity associated with Arctic energy exploration and development.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email to commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.