50 years ago, protests and promises launched the Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Declining oil production poses dangers to the massive structure

Trans-Alaska Pipeline

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was an engineering marvel when it was constructed, but declining oil production has rendered its future uncertain.

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Getting set for a black gold rush, Science News, February 14, 1970 —

Nobody has ever done what the engineers designing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline are faced with: the need to carry hot oil through the Arctic.