Difference between revisions of "Alaska"

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[[Image:Alaska_State_Flag.gif|thumb|right|The state flag of Alaska.]]
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{{USState
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|name=Alaska
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|flag=Alaska_State_Flag.gif
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|motto=North to the Future
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|nick=The Last Frontier
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|capital=Juneau
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|language=English
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|governor=Mike Dunleavy
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|gparty=Republican
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|senator1=Lisa Murkowski
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|s1party=Republican
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|s1phone=(202) 224-6665
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|s1email=http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactMe.EMailLisa Contact
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|senator2=Dan Sullivan
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|s2party=Republican
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|s2phone=(202) 224-3004
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|s2email=https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/contact Contact
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|population=735,000 (2020)
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|date=January 3, 1959
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}}
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'''Alaska''' became the forty-ninth [[state]] to enter into the [[United States of America]] in 1959.  Alaska is not contiguous to the rest of the United States, bordering [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon Territory]] and province of [[British Columbia]] to the east. Its [[capital]] is [[Juneau]].
  
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'''Alaska''' became the forty-ninth state to enter into the [[United States of America]] in 1959.  Alaska is not contiguous to the rest of the United States, bordering [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon Territory]] to the east.  Its capital is [[Juneau]].
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Alaska's territory was purchased from [[Russia]] in 1867 by the Johnson administration for 7.2 million [[Dollar|USD]]; its vast [[oil]] and [[gold]] reserves have more than repaid the investment that was once ridiculed as "Seward's Folly," after [[William Seward|William H. Seward]] who was the [[Secretary of State]] that negotiated the purchase.
  
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Alaska's territory was purchased from [[Russia]] in 1867 by the Johnson administration for 7.2 million [[USD]]; its vast oil and gold reserves have more than repaid the investment that was once ridiculed as "Seward's Folly." (William H. Seward was the Secretary of State that negotiated Alaska's purchase from Russia.)
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Although it is the largest state by area, it is the third smallest state by population (larger than only [[Wyoming]] and [[Vermont]]).  
  
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Although it is the largest state by area, it is one of the smallest states by population. Because of its lack of population, Alaska has only one representative in the House (Republican Don Young), and thus three votes in the [[Electoral College]].  Its current governor is [[Sarah Palin]].
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The state Constitution of Alaska, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
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:''We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.''
  
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==Alaskan Flora==
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==Elected Officials==
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Alaska is highly forested. [[Trees]] found in Alaska include [[Birch]], [[Aspen]], and many [[conifers]] including [[Spruce]] and [[Firs]]. Alaska is home to many [[berries]]. Alaskan [[bushes]] yield [[Blueberries]], [[Raspberries]], [[Cranberries]], [[Salmonberries]], and the less flavorful [[Crowberries]]. There is also an abundance of wild [[rose]] hips in Alaska. Almost all plants in Alaska have at some point been used as a kind of [[medicine]]. The most notable medicine plants in Alaska are “Stinkweed” and Willow, which have both been used to treat many ailments. Many plants have been traditionally used to make tea. These include Birch, Willow, Alder, and Labrador Tea. The natives used Birch for other purposes, including building. Most famously, the Natives used Birch Bark to make baskets and Canoes. Willow switches were often used as an alternative to sinew for string.
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===Federal===
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*Senator [[Lisa Murkowski]] (R)
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*Senator [[Dan Sullivan]] (R)
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*Rep. [[Mary Peltola]] (D)
  
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==Alaskan Fauna==
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===Statewide===
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[[Image:Moose.jpg|thumb|right|An Alaskan Moose.]]
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*Governor [[Mike Dunleavy]] (R)
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Many animals in Alaska are hunted for their meat. These include large game such as moose, bear, and caribou, small game such as hares, grouse, and fowl. A large quantity of wild fish is also eaten especially salmon, trout, and halibut. Alaskan seas are inhabited by whales, seals, walruses, and of course fish. Native Alaskans hunted some whales, walruses, seals, and many kinds of fish for food and, in the case of seals, for furs. Spring brings large flocks of migratory birds to Alaska. Such birds as Canada geese, cranes, ducks, and many song birds inhabit Alaska during spring and summer. Mosquitoes, horseflies, and several other biting bugs thrive here.
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*Lt. Governor [[Nancy Dahlstrom]] (R)
  
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==Natural Resources==
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==Politics==
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Alaska is home to vast quantities of oil, mostly along the north coast. Development of this resource has led to many environmental disasters and political issues. Gold was one of the first industries to be established in Alaska. When word reached the lower 48 of a gold strike in Alaska there was a “gold rush.” Thousands of miners rushed into Alaska in the hopes of striking it rich. Few did, but the gold rush forever changed Alaska. Gold is still a major industry in modern Alaska. Formerly one of Alaska’s largest industries, commercial fishing no longer supplies a significant amount of capitol to Alaska. However, in the early years of Alaska’s history, this resource was vastly exploited. The Lumber industry in Alaska is not purely a success story. When the industry was first established, massive sections of forest were clear cut and sold and low prices. At first this industry hardly made a profit, but improved in success through better use of the lumber they cut.
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[[File:E-ALSIB-Monument-w-flags-W.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Heroes of Alaska-Siberia Monument on [[Magadan]].]]
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Alaska is a [[Republican]] stronghold with a [[libertarian]] streak.<ref>http://election.nationaljournal.com/states/ak.htm</ref> [[George W. Bush]] carried the state 59%-28% in 2000, 61%-36% in 2004, and [[John McCain]] 59%-38% in 2008. The legislature has split control, with Democrats in control of the state senate. In 2008 [[Mark Begich]] became the first [[Democrat]] elected to [[Congress]] from Alaska since 1974. Due to [[Ranked-choice voting]], which passed in 2020, the state very quickly had a leftward shift, with Alaska's At-Large district flipping and RINO Lisa Murkowski winning re-election in 2022.
  
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==Beringia==
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==Economy==
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The Bering Land Bridge was a strip of land that formerly connected Russia and Alaska. It is assumed that most Native North American and at least some Native South American tribes are descended from Asians that immigrated over that bridge. The seas now separating Alaska and Russia are mostly quite shallow. This means that during periods of global cooling, when the oceans water molecules condensed, the sea level receded and revealed land that connected Asia and America. It is suspected that the bridge was crossed by humans who then inhabited the Americas. Beringia also enabled the migration of other mammals between the two continents. Ancient ancestors of camels, which evolved in North America, migrated to Asia, and the American camelids eventually became extinct.  
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Alaska's economy consists of three main sectors. Firstly there is mineral resources, in the form of oil and coal and gold and silver and a variety of other metals. Secondly there is commercial fishing, primarily salmon, king crab, halibut, grey cod, and pollack. Finally there is federal spending, Alaska receives more federal spending per citizen than any other state, getting about two dollars in federal spending for every tax dollar sent to the IRS.
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==Energy==
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[[File:Alaska-oil.jpg|thumb|300px|left]][[File:Oil-symbol.jpg|thumb|300px|left]]
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Alaska has vast energy resources but low energy demand. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. The Alaska North Slope contains 14 of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States, and two of the largest natural gas fields. The North Slope's Prudhoe Bay field is the largest oil field in the country. Substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska's bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. Alaska's numerous rivers offer some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country, and large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, and production activities drive state energy demand. Nevertheless, overall state energy demand is low.<ref>See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AK Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>
  
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==Native Culture==
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Alaska is the second-ranked oil-producing state (after Texas), if output from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is excluded from the state totals. Nearly all of Alaska's oil production takes place on the North Slope. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) transports crude oil from the frozen North Slope to the warm-water Port of Valdez, on Alaska's southern coast. From Valdez, tankers ship the ANS crude oil primarily to refineries in California and Washington State. Those refineries are designed to process the intermediate, sour (high-sulfur) crude oil from the ANS. Alaskan crude oil production has been in decline since 1988, when output peaked at over 2 million barrels per day. However, experts believe that large oil and gas reserves in the state remain untapped, and some have called for the federal government to open more public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for oil exploration and drilling.  
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Alaska Native Culture varies greatly from tribe to tribe. On the whole, culture tends to be most directly linked to the environment in which a certain tribe lived. The majority of Interior Alaskan tribes are Athabascan. The Athabascans are a widespread people who lived mainly along rivers, since they provided food and easy transportation. The people of the south coast were mainly comprised of the Tlingit and Haida, tribes with a rich spiritual culture who primarily lived on fish and sea lion. These tribes occasionally also ate whale. The Tlingit and Haida had a complicated tribal system to prevent accidental incest. The people of the northern coasts, often called the Eskimos, are the people that practiced the famous blanket toss. This was originally developed as a method of looking over a large area for potential game. These tribes also hunted whale.
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==Native Subsistence==
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Demand for finished petroleum products in Alaska is low. Although Alaska has six refineries, most of them are “topping” plants that strip away lighter products from the TAPS heavy crude oil stream for internal refinery use. State motor gasoline demand is primarily met by refineries in Kenai and near Fairbanks. The use of oxygenated motor gasoline is required in the Fairbanks and Anchorage areas during their winter months. Jet fuel consumption in Alaska is high compared to other States.  
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Subsistence is a term that means “living off the land.” Alaska Native Subsistence includes many varieties off hunting, fishing, and gathering. 
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Alaska is abundant in big game, with many creatures such as moose, walrus, bears, seals, and sea lion. Alaska is also home to a somewhat more limited selection of small game including water fowl, grouse and hares. Many small creatures could be hunted but most are not very good for eating, and so they were usually not hunted by humans. The rivers and oceans in and around Alaska provide many types of fish and other aquatic life. Most important to traditional Native subsistence is the salmon, which is a marine creature through most of its life but travels upstream to spawn. 
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This life cycle makes the salmon a fish that appears in many different areas of Alaska, and it is very good for eating. Shellfish was also frequently eaten, and other types of fish such as trout, halibut, and burbot are abundant in Alaska. Some tribes, mainly “Eskimo” peoples also ate whale meat. Aside from fauna, Alaska is home to many types of delicious berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, and salmonberries.  
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==Contact with Europeans==
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Due to harsh weather conditions that persist throughout most of the year, Alaska's oil infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to weather-related accidents and disruptions. The worst accident was not weather-related, however. It occurred in March 1989, when the tank vessel ''[[Exxon Valdez]]'' struck Bligh Reef and spilled at least 260 thousand barrels of oil into the Prince William Sound (some estimates put the figure at 30 million gallons, or over 700 thousand barrels<ref>Bluemink, Elizabeth. "Size of Exxon spill remains disputed." June 15, 2010. Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/2010/06/05/1309722/size-of-exxon-spill-remains-disputed.html</ref>). The cause of the accident is at least partially due to navigation errors of fatigued crew members, some of who were allegedly drunk. Other factors contributing to the accident were navigational equipment failures, deliberate breach of navigational protocol, and an inadequate number of crew members on the vessel,<ref>Alaska Oil Spill Commission. "Spill: The Wreck of the Exxon Valdez: Implications for Safe Transport of Oil." February, 1990. http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa_documents/NOAA_related_docs/oil_spills/spill_wreck_ExxonValdez_1990.pdf</ref><ref>Reprint of pages 5-14 of the AOSC reference, in an easier to read form. http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/facts/details.cfm</ref> and these findings led to new regulations and recommended changes in the oil industry, specifically with regards to transporting oil.
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Contrary to what is often taught in younger grades, Columbus was not the first European to reach America. The first European to set foot in the Americas was Norse Explorer Leif Erikson. Although he may not have directly affected Alaska Natives, the Norse arrival brought Europeans into Native American culture. The first Europeans to see Alaska were James Cook, his crew, and certain Russian Explorers. The Russians took over Alaska and introduced European 
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concepts to the Native Alaskans. However they also brought with them a wealth of European diseases. These diseases drastically effected the Native population of Alaska. Disasters stemming from the introduction of alcohol and tobacco into Alaska later arose. It took a very long time for relationships between Caucasians and Alaska Natives to be repaired.  
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==Early Exploration==
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==Notable People from Alaska==
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Even after Alaska was discovered, the cold weather and extent of the land made it a long time before it was thoroughly explored. One of the earliest explorers was Knud Rasmussen. Rasmussen was a Greenlandic explorer whose main job on the explorations was to learn about and document information regarding Alaska Native culture and spiritual beliefs. He was the leader of several expeditions and brought with him other specialists. When the U.S. purchase became a factor, more serious exploration began. The goal of these explorations was to find the true value of Alaska. It proved to be very high. Alaska turned out to be rich in many different natural resources.
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*[[Sarah Palin]], former governor, GOP vice presidential nominee 2008
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*[[Carlos Boozer]] ([[Utah Jazz]] basketball player)
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*[[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]]
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*[[Valerie Plame]]
  
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==The Early Russian Era==
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==State Motto==
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The First Europeans to reach Alaska were Russians. Small groups of fur traders soon started sailing from Siberia to the Aleutians. Later, Traders began to establish trading posts. By the 1790s some trading posts were permanent establishments. By 1804 Alexandr Baranov, the manager of the Russian–American Company, had strengthened Russia’s hold on the Alaskan fur trade. Starting in the 1860’s, Russia began to consider selling Alaska. After 
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''“North to the Future”'' The motto was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.
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some decades, the over hunting had begun to take its toll on Alaska’s wildlife, especially fur-bearers.
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==The Alaskan Purchase==
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==See also==
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In 1867, Russia finally sold its land in America to the United States. The purchase was driven by then Secretary of State William Steward. The 6,000,000 square mile territory was purchased for a sum of 7.2 million US dollars, or 5.9 cents an acre. The price was not nearly as low as it sounds, due to inflation, but was still quite cheap. The territory was sometimes referred to as Seward’s folly, Seward’s Icebox, or Andrew Johnson’s polar bear garden. Many people believed that spending so much money on such a remote region was foolish.
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*[[Alaska-class cruiser]]
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* [[Constitutional carry]]: In Alaska the [[Second Amendment]] is the "[[license]]" for [[Concealed carry]] and [[Open carry]]. The carrying of [[firearm]]s, [[concealed carry|concealed]] or [[Open carry|not]], is generally not restricted by the [[law]].
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* [[Red state]]s - [[Republican]]
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* [[Purple state]]s - swing states that can vote either [[Republican]] or [[Democrat]]
  
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==The Klondike Gold Rush==
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==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
  
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When gold was discovered in the Klondike region, it prompted a gold rush similar to one in California in 1849.
 
  
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==Sustainable Developement of Alaska==
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==External links==
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[[Image:Lynx.jpg|thumb|right|A lynx, one of Alaska'a many fur-bearers.]]
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*[http://arcticcam.com/cam/ Live image from Fairbanks, Alaska]
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Sustainable Development is a term used to refer to developing resources at a rate that allows them to be replaced. In the early days of Alaska sustainable development was not practiced to any extent, and some resources were nearly destroyed. One such industry was commercial fisheries. Commercial fishing was one of the first Alaskan resources to be vastly over-used. Fisheries nearly destroyed Alaska’s population of salmon and some other species of fish. Later the timber industry clear-cut many acres of forest and destroyed much of Alaska’s natural habitat. Other early industries in Alaska included the Gold mines, which were in general not very harmful to the environment, and the trapping industry, which was mostly used up by the time of the Alaska purchase, but was very harmful during its time as a major industry.
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*[http://www.state.ak.us/ State of Alaska Home page]
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*[http://www.travelalaska.com/ State of Alaska Travel and Vacation Information]
  
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==Early Alaskan Fisheries==
 
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A fishery is a place where fish are caught and processed. In Alaska, fisheries presented a major problem at some points in the past. many people worked in dangerous conditions and were underpaid in early Alaska’s commercial fisheries. Child labor was often used in these fisheries, and recent immigrants were also put to work there. Commercial fisheries were able to produce huge quantities of fish at very low prices, but in doing so horribly over-fished the rivers of Alaska. Some salmon fisheries damaged native communities by taking the bulk of one of their main food sources. The over fishing of Alaskan rivers continued for many decades, but in modern Alaska the concerns of fishermen and others are turned to farmed fish, rather than over-fishing of wild fish.
 
  
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==1918 Flu Epidemic==
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{{USstates}}
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In 1918 a deadly flu epidemic swept across the globe, killing more people in a shorter amount of time than anything else in the history of mankind. The total death toll was around 20 million, and the flu left its mark everywhere. In Alaska thousands died in communities such as Ketchikan and Nome. these small towns were hit hard by the deaths. Natives, who had no natural resistance, were the hardest hit. In and around Nome, about 75% of the adult Native population was killed by the epidemic.
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==World War II in Alaska==
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[[Category:Alaska]]
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On June 3, 1942, Japanese planes attacked Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutians. Dutch Harbor was bombed for two days, leaving 100 dead and many structures destroyed or on fire. On June 4 U.S. aircraft deployed from a nearby air base disguised as a cannery met the attack. Taking the Japanese by surprise, they destroyed five planes. They soon began to search for the Japanese aircraft carrier(s), but out of 6 planes that saw it, 4 were shot down and one was lost in the fog. Between June 6th and 7th Japanese forces invaded the Attu and Kiska, in the Western Aleutians. This invasion represented the first battles on American soil in nearly a century, and the first foreign battles on American land in about 130 years. On May 11, 1943, 12500 US soldiers landed on Attu, invading from both sides of the Island. Though they outnumbered the Japanese by more than 5 to 1, the Japanese were well entrenched and the southern US forces did not work their way out of Massacre Bay until 8 days of heavy fighting had passed. After working to the mainland, the Japanese were quickly defeated, and all except 30 of the 2300 troops were killed by US forces or themselves. The American death toll was 549. After securing Attu the American forces, now numbering 15000 with the arrival of reinforcements, moved on to Kiska, where about 5100 Japanese troops were stationed. In the dense fog, the Japanese managed to slip through a US barricade undetected, a move so bold and difficult that US commanders would not believe it occurred. The invasion proceeded and over 300 American soldiers were killed.
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[[Category:Red States]]
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[[Category:Arctic Circle]]
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==Statehood==
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[[Category:States of the United States]]
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The movement for Alaskan statehood began around the turn of the 20th century, but faced widespread opposition because of worries that the region was too remote, or too sparsely populated. There were also assertions that the economy of Alaska was too unstable to make it a worthwhile addition to the United States. The suggestion of Statehood was taken more seriously after the roll Alaska played in WWII as a strategic point against the Japanese, but the real tipping point was the discovery of oil in Alaska. In 1958, Dwight Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood act, and Alaska was admitted to the union on January 3, 1959. William A. Egan, who had played a significant role in the writing of the Alaska constitution, became the first governor of Alaska.
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[[Category:Western United States]]
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[[Category:United States Geography]]
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==Modern Alaska Government==
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[[Category:Pro Second Amendment]]
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The current government of Alaska is composed of the same three branches as the federal and most state governments. These three branches are the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch is headed by the Governor. The first Governor of Alaska, as mentioned above, was Democrat Bill Egan, and the current Governor is Republican Sarah Palin, Alaska’s first female Governor. The Governor is elected with a Lieutenant Governor. The current 
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[[Category:Constitutional Carry]]
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Lieutenant Governor is Sean Parnell, and the first was Hugh Wade. The legislative branch is made up of a two-part congress, the senate and the legislature. Senators and legislators are elected by popular vote from areas drawn out by the
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government.
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==Official Symbols==
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Bird-Willow Ptarmigan<br />
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Motto-North to the Future<br />
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Tree-Sitka Spruce<br />
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Mineral-Gold<br />
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==Trivia==
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Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the US combined.<br />
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Alaska has a population density of ~1 person per square mile.
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[[Category:US state]]
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Latest revision as of 17:12, August 15, 2025

Alaska
Capital Juneau
Nickname The Last Frontier
Official Language English
Governor Mike Dunleavy, R
Senator Lisa Murkowski, R
(202) 224-6665
Contact
Senator Dan Sullivan, R
(202) 224-3004
Contact
Population 735,000 (2020)
Ratification of Constitution/or statehood January 3, 1959
Flag of Alaska Motto: North to the Future

Alaska became the forty-ninth state to enter into the United States of America in 1959. Alaska is not contiguous to the rest of the United States, bordering Canada's Yukon Territory and province of British Columbia to the east. Its capital is Juneau.

Alaska's territory was purchased from Russia in 1867 by the Johnson administration for 7.2 million USD; its vast oil and gold reserves have more than repaid the investment that was once ridiculed as "Seward's Folly," after William H. Seward who was the Secretary of State that negotiated the purchase.

Although it is the largest state by area, it is the third smallest state by population (larger than only Wyoming and Vermont).

The state Constitution of Alaska, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. It says:

We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.

Elected Officials

Federal

Statewide

Politics

The Heroes of Alaska-Siberia Monument on Magadan.

Alaska is a Republican stronghold with a libertarian streak.[1] George W. Bush carried the state 59%-28% in 2000, 61%-36% in 2004, and John McCain 59%-38% in 2008. The legislature has split control, with Democrats in control of the state senate. In 2008 Mark Begich became the first Democrat elected to Congress from Alaska since 1974. Due to Ranked-choice voting, which passed in 2020, the state very quickly had a leftward shift, with Alaska's At-Large district flipping and RINO Lisa Murkowski winning re-election in 2022.

Economy

Alaska's economy consists of three main sectors. Firstly there is mineral resources, in the form of oil and coal and gold and silver and a variety of other metals. Secondly there is commercial fishing, primarily salmon, king crab, halibut, grey cod, and pollack. Finally there is federal spending, Alaska receives more federal spending per citizen than any other state, getting about two dollars in federal spending for every tax dollar sent to the IRS.

Energy

Alaska-oil.jpg
Oil-symbol.jpg

Alaska has vast energy resources but low energy demand. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. The Alaska North Slope contains 14 of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States, and two of the largest natural gas fields. The North Slope's Prudhoe Bay field is the largest oil field in the country. Substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska's bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. Alaska's numerous rivers offer some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country, and large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, and production activities drive state energy demand. Nevertheless, overall state energy demand is low.[2]

Alaska is the second-ranked oil-producing state (after Texas), if output from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is excluded from the state totals. Nearly all of Alaska's oil production takes place on the North Slope. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) transports crude oil from the frozen North Slope to the warm-water Port of Valdez, on Alaska's southern coast. From Valdez, tankers ship the ANS crude oil primarily to refineries in California and Washington State. Those refineries are designed to process the intermediate, sour (high-sulfur) crude oil from the ANS. Alaskan crude oil production has been in decline since 1988, when output peaked at over 2 million barrels per day. However, experts believe that large oil and gas reserves in the state remain untapped, and some have called for the federal government to open more public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for oil exploration and drilling.

Demand for finished petroleum products in Alaska is low. Although Alaska has six refineries, most of them are “topping” plants that strip away lighter products from the TAPS heavy crude oil stream for internal refinery use. State motor gasoline demand is primarily met by refineries in Kenai and near Fairbanks. The use of oxygenated motor gasoline is required in the Fairbanks and Anchorage areas during their winter months. Jet fuel consumption in Alaska is high compared to other States.

Due to harsh weather conditions that persist throughout most of the year, Alaska's oil infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to weather-related accidents and disruptions. The worst accident was not weather-related, however. It occurred in March 1989, when the tank vessel Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef and spilled at least 260 thousand barrels of oil into the Prince William Sound (some estimates put the figure at 30 million gallons, or over 700 thousand barrels[3]). The cause of the accident is at least partially due to navigation errors of fatigued crew members, some of who were allegedly drunk. Other factors contributing to the accident were navigational equipment failures, deliberate breach of navigational protocol, and an inadequate number of crew members on the vessel,[4][5] and these findings led to new regulations and recommended changes in the oil industry, specifically with regards to transporting oil.

Notable People from Alaska

State Motto

“North to the Future” The motto was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://election.nationaljournal.com/states/ak.htm
  2. ↑ See Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009
  3. ↑ Bluemink, Elizabeth. "Size of Exxon spill remains disputed." June 15, 2010. Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/2010/06/05/1309722/size-of-exxon-spill-remains-disputed.html
  4. ↑ Alaska Oil Spill Commission. "Spill: The Wreck of the Exxon Valdez: Implications for Safe Transport of Oil." February, 1990. http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa_documents/NOAA_related_docs/oil_spills/spill_wreck_ExxonValdez_1990.pdf
  5. ↑ Reprint of pages 5-14 of the AOSC reference, in an easier to read form. http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/facts/details.cfm


External links


v • d • e
States of the USA
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