ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, I pointed out that the highest-priced U.S. markets for oil were in the Midwest and on the East Coast. It is sometimes assumed, however, that Alaskan oil reaching Edmonton would be divided between the high-priced eastern markets and the West Coast markets. In that case, additional economic and environmental costs entailed in shipping crude oil from Puget Sound to California would have to be added to the Trans-Canadian Pipeline (TCP) costs considered earlier. Since tanker traffic and port activities have not entered into the analysis of the TCP alternatives thus far, these alternatives were considered to be environmentally superior to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (TAP) from this standpoint. Accordingly, a decision to transport some of the North Slope oil to California via Puget Sound would become an important factor in selecting an optimal route.
