Reminder for US Readers to Protect America’s Economy and Alaska’s Future: Please Comment Today On The Chukchi Sea Exploration Program That Will Prevent Importation of Billions of Barrels of Foreign Oil and Create Tens of Thousands Of American Jobs.  -dh

Coment: As Alaska’s Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) continues to dry up and head toward shutdown, some will consider the huge impact that will have on the North Slope Borough (NSB) which depends upon TAPS for enabling property taxes that flow from oil facilities.  The NSB also takes a goodly share of state resources whose origin is oil.  Some will consider the impact on schools, public safety, roads and other state services throughout Alaska, relying on state support that is nearly 90% dependent on oil.  Then, there is NSB Mayor Edward Itta (NGP Photo), who believes the state is too supportive of the oil industry.  Readers will want to absorb this Alaska Standard article by Patti Epler and decide for themselves.  Readers might also want to review Alex DeMarban’s Arctic Sounder article dealing with the Northern Waters Task Force which we have considered ill-conceived (See our Northern Waters Task Force Critique).    -dh

Calgary Herald by Dina O’Meara.  Pipeline ruptures due to excavation hits are on the rise as urban development spreads onto formerly rural land — land criss-crossed by a network of underground oil and gas lines, the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association said Monday.