Time of Decision

Abstract

We are now witnessing developments which may result in a final act of decision permitting a system of transportation, the trans-Alaska pipeline, for the southward flow of oil from the North Slope of Alaska to Pacific ports. Concurrently the goods and facilities necessary for pipeline construction and operation will allow a counterflow of materials and people northward, the people drawn by opportunities to participate in new economic ventures or simply to view and enjoy environments at present of limited access. The last, great wilderness frontier of the United States - Alaska - has long since been breached. Now the government of the United States must resolve a conflict between the forces of economic growth and those of environmental protection and preservation as to whether that breach shall be widened. ... One way to understand better the complex situation created by the urge to develop oil as against the urge to protect and preserve the environment is to break down the complex into the major issues constituting the whole. These issues can then be considered individually and, taken all together, can give a better appreciation of what is going on and provide a basis for prediction of what is likely to happen in the future. A few of these issues are mentioned below in very summary fashion. Each has its proponents and detractors. There is no opportunity here to illuminate fully the arguments and no attempt is made to be comprehensive. ... [The issues discussed include: the need for energy, the environmental crisis, the economic picture, the interest of the state of Alaska, the place of the federal government, national security, and native claims.]