Environmentalists urge US to plan ‘phasedown’ of Alaska’s key oil pipeline amid climate concerns

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Environmental groups have petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior to review climate impacts related to the decades-old trans-Alaska pipeline system. They’re also asking the federal government to develop a plan for a “managed phasedown” of the 800-mile pipeline, which is Alaska’s economic lifeline. The request comes more than a year after the Biden administration approved the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope. Willow is being developed by ConocoPhillips Alaska and could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day. Some of the groups who filed the petition are also asking an appeals court to overturn the approval of Willow.