Analysis of ethical issue
The discovery of oil in northern Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay brought a big challenge to the engineers especially in the transportation of the product outside Alaska. As a result of the pervasive ice-rich soil layer called permafrost, it was not possible for engineers to construct an underground pipeline; instead, they had to build an aboveground pipeline (Alaska natural gas pipeline project history | Arcticgas.gov, n.d). This pipeline passed through the Alaskan landscape resulting into much contention to the native people and the environment (Bohrer, 2015). However, countries in which the pipeline passed had to strike a deal of mutual benefit.
In line with this, a thorough feasibility study had to be conducted to establish the ethical and moral standards for this pipeline. Stakeholders, with the help of environmental specialists, had to design acceptable customs to the Alaskan Oil and Gas Association. This was critical since it would take care of the habitat. All the environmental components and climatic changes were safeguarded. The set rules in the established Environmental Impact Assessment report had to be followed to the later. No member of the community could be put under threat due to the construction of this Alaska gas pipeline despite the conflicting ideas from the concerned authorities.
Description of land
Alaska’s land is composed of frozen ground. This is because of the high latitudes in and around the arctic and Antarctic regions. Alaska’s ground ice is as a result of the nonporous bedrock which exceeds the potential hydraulic saturation of the ground material. Alaska’s permafrost generally consists of a thin active layer that seasonally thaws during summer. When this ice content exceeds 250 PC, it is normally categorized as massive ice.
Conclusion
It is evident that negative politics can bring to halt beneficial projects as seen in this Alaska gas pipeline construction. Opposition to this project came from the Bush administration and Canadian government (Forgey, 2008). The tug of war in these parties slowed down the whole construction process. Probably it was due to the topography and terrain of the land. However, the engineers did a great job in the long run.
References
Alaska natural gas pipeline project history | Arcticgas.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.arcticgas.gov/Alaska-Natural-Gas-Pipeline-Project-History
Bohrer, B. (2015, August 24). Alaska governor plans to call for TransCanada buyout in gas project | Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved from http://www.adn.com/article/20150824/alaska-governor-plans-call-transcanada-buyout-gas-project
Forgey, P. (2008, March 6). Widening investigation may present a hurdle for gas pipeline project | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper. Retrieved from http://juneauempire.com/stories/030608/sta_254443620.shtml#.Vw9YktQrLIU
