The Benefits of an Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline

The United States, reacting to rising prices and supply uncertainties of imported energy, has begun to move aggressively to develop its untapped domestic energy resources. The Department of Energy has recently awarded funds to support feasibility studies as well as design, engineering, and construction activities for 110 synthetic fuel projects. Despite pressures for budgetary restraint, Congress has steadily increased (in real terms) budgets for research and development for a variety of technologies utilizing solar and geothermal energy. The federal government has leased potentially oil-rich offshore tracts in the Northeast despite strong opposition from the fishing industry and environmental groups. Yet, despite this apparent scramble to exploit domestic energy resources, a variety of factors has delayed construction of the pipeline that would transport natural gas from deposits on Alaska's North Slope to gas markets in the lower 48 states.