The owners of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) have filed an application ahead of schedule to extend the federal land-use permit for another 30 years. The current permit expires in 2034, UNN writes, citing Bloomberg.
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Alyeska Pipeline Service, which operates the pipeline, has already begun the reauthorization process. The U.S. Department of the Interior will first conduct an environmental review, and the public has been given 15 days to submit comments.
An early extension of the permit could allow the process to be completed during the administration of Donald Trump, who supports expanding oil production in Alaska. The TAPS owners expect the new permit to ensure the pipeline's operation until 2064.
The approximately 1,300-kilometer-long Trans-Alaska Pipeline has been operating since 1977 and transports oil from the North Slope fields to the port of Valdez. Environmentalists oppose extending the permit and are demanding an additional assessment of its impact on the environment and climate.
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