Editorial

Alaska Oil Pipeline needs better protection

A drunken gunman's stupidity wreaked havoc on the Alaska Oil Pipeline and the wilderness around a portion of it.

Authorities say the man, who has an extensive criminal record, shot a hole in the pipeline with a .338-caliber rifle, and hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spewed out of the high-pressure line before the hole could be permanently fixed.

There was no indication that wildlife was immediately affected, but oil covered nearby trees, bushes and tundra, and regulators say it will take years to clean up the mess.

The pipeline carries about 1 million barrels of oil a day, or 17 percent of domestic oil production, and it is an important supply for the United States.

It is amazing as long as the pipeline has been in operation that similar mischief hasn't happened before.

Plans to beef up security along the line are well advised so that something like this, or worse, doesn't happen again.

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