Drilling Rules Hit Trans-Alaska Pipeline

The federal government’s new wariness about offshore drilling in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is dimming what may be the best hope for extending the life of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, a crucial artery supplying one-quarter of the West Coast’s oil. The 800-mile pipeline, owned by a BP-led consortium, carries about 670,000 barrels of oil a day — 13% of U.S. production — from Alaska’s North Slope the length of the state to Port Valdez. From there it is sent by tanker to refineries in Washington and California.