With the estimated reserves of hydropower, gas fields (Beluga alone is estimated at 10 trillion cubic feet), coal reserves, at producing locations estimated at 10 billion tons, and estimated oil reserves in the Kenai and Prudhoe areas of 10 to 40 billion

barrels, the future power supplies for Alaska appear secure and

are limited only by cost and distance to market.

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNICAL STIPULATIONS

The construction of a 48 inch hot oil pipeline pursuant to the right-of-way permit which is sought is complicated by the arctic environment through which it would be built. This environment requires construction activities to be conducted in a manner specifically adapted to it; in many instances construction procedures which might be proper in the "lower 48" would cause environmental damage if followed in the arctic environment. On the other hand, construction procedures

which are adapted to the arctic environment will mostly eliminate these environmental damages.

Foremost among the characteristics of the arctic which requires special construction techniques is permafrost; associated with permafrost is the tundra which provides an insulating blanket for the permafrost.

Some of the problems which construction practices must be designed to avoid are as follows: permafrost degradation, thaw-melt phenomena and thermal erosion; environmental damage resulting from taking the large amounts of gravel that would be required for the project from the wrong sources, or improper methods of taking such gravel; removal or destruction of tundra; pollution of streams from sewage generated by remote construction camps; siltation of streams; development of a thaw plug surrounding the pipe which, depending on the soil, might

result in soil liquifaction, differential settlement and thaw plug instability; inhibiting of fish migration in streams; damage to wilderness and fish during periods, such as times of spawning, when they are particularly vulnerable to construction activities. There are many additional problems posed by the arctic environment, and these are discussed throughout this statement.

Because great environmental damage to Alaska might occur as a result of the foregoing problems and if construction were done improperly, the Department has developed two sets of stipulations, one environmental and one technical, which are designed to safeguard the environment and insure that proper techniques are utilized. In general, the stipulations require that:

1. Appropriate environmental considerations and protection

mechanisms be incorporated in all activities related to

any proposed transportation system from the start of the
field studies through the lifetime of the system.

2. Rigorous and exhaustive review be made of the engineering
design to assure that the proper degree of technical
competence and engineering knowledge has been exercised
throughout.

3. The most rigorous inspection and supervision possible be
exercised on all aspects of the project during the con-

struction phase to ensure strict compliance with the design.

4.

The rigorous inspection, surveillance, and monitoring

of all aspects of the project continue throughout its

operational life so that the operational phase is con

ducted within the tolerance limits established.

Some examples of the specifics with which the stipulations deal are: erosion control; degradation of permafrost; treatment of garbage and sewage; the manner in which timber is cleared; protection of fish spawning beds; procedures to be adopted to allow migration of fish; procedures to prevent construction activity during periods of particular vulnerablility of wildlife; methods for removal of gravel; restoration of the terrain following construction; incorporation of aesthetic principles into the pipeline design; control of siltation; control and clean up of any oil spills that might occur; conditions under which the pipe may be buried; the extent of seismicity in given areas for which the pipeline must be designed; and the manner in which streams will be crossed.

These stipulations are the most comprehensive and far-reaching code of environmental and technical stipulations ever imposed on the design, construction, and operation of a project of this nature. Although they are stringent, their terms are such that they can be met.

Construction of the pipeline will be closely supervised by the Department, through the "authorized officer," an official of the Bureau of Land Management. He will have reporting to him a team of experts drawn from that Bureau, from other bureaus of the Department and from other federal agencies. With this team, the authorized officer will