This contentious relationship the world, specifically America, has with oil has been going on for over 4 decades. In 1973 OAPEC placed an oil embargo on the U.S. for having given support to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. It was after this that the U.S. saw the necessity to have access to oil, and thus the idea of accessing oil on U.S. territory came about.
On this day May 31st, in 1977, the Alaska Pipeline is completed. It took over three years to complete. The pipeline is owned by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, which British Petroleum (BP) owns 46% of. The company was established in 1970, prior to the oil crisis, and it was meant to find a means of transportation for oil discovered in 1968. Construction on the pipeline only began after the oil crisis.
The pipeline is over 800 miles long, and at that point in time no American company had the capacity to create the 48 inch diameter necessary for this pipeline, so it was outsourced and contracted to some Japanese companies. Opposition to this pipeline comes from conservationists and Native tribes. Conservationists argue it negatively impacts the environment, and tribes point out that even though it goes through their land they get no profits. The Alaska Pipeline has transported over 16 Billion barrels of oil.