Building the Next Pipeline

A gas line from Prudhoe Bay to the contiguous lower 48 is still on [the president's] energy list. He has submitted an energy reorganization plan which creates a federal inspector to supervise the enforcement of permit regulations during the construction of the 4,748-mile-long gas line. The plan also calls for a seven member policy board to monitor construction." Alaska Economic Trends, May 1979 The topic of constructing and operating a transportation system to move North Slope natural gas to the Lower 48 is obviously not a new one. The president referred to above was Jimmy Carter, and a lot has changed since then.