# Who gets Alaskan oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232 "2012-01-12T00:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/1 "2012-01-12T00:09:45Z")
Specifically, what part of the oil shipped from the port of Valdez, Alaska, in tankers goes to non-US destinations? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/2 "2012-01-12T00:29:12Z")
[None](http://www.ipmall.info/hosted_resources/crs/RS22142_050506.pdf). (PDF) > [@](#): > > As a reaction to oil price and supply concerns, questions about the export of crude oil produced on Alaska’s North Slope are often directed at Members of Congress. The export of this oil had been prohibited by the 1973 law allowing the construction of the pipeline system now transporting oil to the ice-free, southern Alaska port of Valdez. But following a period of depressed oil prices, legislation was enacted in 1995 permitting export. Relatively small amounts — never more than 7% — of Alaskan crude were sold to Korea, Japan, China, and some other countries. These exports stopped by 2000. Currently, no crude is exported from the West Coast. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/3 "2012-01-12T03:43:59Z")
It’s pretty meaningless. Let’s assume that instead of exporting zero percent of Alaskan oil we instead exported 100% of it. We’d then import exactly that number of additional barrels from someplace else. Our national total consumption would be the same, our national total net imports minus exports would be exactly the same, our total shipments out of Valdez to someplace would be exactly the same. Yes, oil comes in various grades, so not every barrel is exactly the same as every other barrel. But by and large there is one global supply & one global demand. “Reserving” some certain production for domestic use is a political feel-good exercise with near zero meaning in the real world. IF we got to the situation where we used only domestic oil for 100% of our total demand THEN we could de-couple from the global supply/demand system & global prices. But not before. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/4 "2012-01-12T03:47:27Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![robinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/848f3c/32.png) [@robinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/5 "2012-01-12T03:53:00Z")
You got a little ahead of me there. I thought we were exporting oil from Valdez and learned that we were not. I see by recent news report that there is some discussion about building a natural gas export facility in Alaska, but I don’t know where it would be located. ---
**Author:** ![kevinnash123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/85f322/32.png) [@kevinnash123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevinnash123)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gets-alaskan-oil/609232/6 "2012-01-12T10:32:48Z")
Sorry! I don’t know where it would be located.