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trans-Alaska pipeline

trans-Alaska pipeline

1 4.5
A long pipe that carries oil about 800 miles from northern Alaska to the port of Valdez
  • noun
translation icon : oleoducto trans-Alaska
  • Security measures have been enhanced due to the importance of the trans-Alaska pipeline, which provides a significant portion of the U.S. oil supply.

Examples

  • Environmentalists and fishers sought to invoke the provisions of TAPAA and require the owners of the trans-Alaska pipeline to pay a portion of the damages because it could be argued that the spill resulted from pipeline operations.

    Academic text (1998)
  • But oil production is rapidly declining. The trans-Alaska pipeline is almost three-fourths empty and now carries 25% as much oil as it did at its peak. Since 2007, when the legislature imposed ACES retroactively, North Slope production has declined 21% and continues to decline at an average of 6% per year.

    Blog text (33)
  • A half mile below the ground at Prudhoe Bay, above the vast oil field that helped trigger construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, a drill rig has tapped what might one day be the next big energy source.

    Blog text (30)
  • Congress authorized the trans-Alaska pipeline during the 1973 oil crisis, but in a compromise with maritime unions and environmental groups, the exportation of ANS was prohibited.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The Exxon Valdez spill spotlighted existing groups that traditionally feared oil development and oil tanker traffic in Alaska, and that opposed the trans-Alaska pipeline from the outset.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The proposed railway would run more than 1,600 miles from Fort McMurray, Alberta, to Delta Junction, Alaska, where the trans-Alaska pipeline is en route from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.

    Blog text (33)
  • The trans-Alaska pipeline transports crude oil from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez, spanning 800 miles.

  • In Valdez, the operation and maintenance of the trans-Alaska pipeline are crucial for the local economy.

Synonyms

pipeline
vstrans-Alaska pipeline
106 3.7

A long pipe that carries oil or gas across land

is specifically the 800 mile oil route, not a general pipe system
oil pipeline
vstrans-Alaska pipeline
  • Specialized
12 2.9

A long set of pipes that carries oil between places

is that specific 800 mile route rather than pipelines in general
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
vstrans-Alaska pipeline
1 4.9

A major oil pipeline that runs about 800 miles across Alaska from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

is the shorter, common form of that official title
Alaskan pipeline
vstrans-Alaska pipeline
1 3.7

An oil pipe in Alaska that runs about 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

is the standard name used more widely or officially

How Long

trans-Alaska pipeline
1 4.5
oil pipeline
  • Specialized
12 2.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

trans-Alaska + pipeline

The phrase transparently denotes a pipeline that runs across Alaska: it is compositionally built from the prefix 'trans-' (across) + 'Alaska' + 'pipeline' (a conduit for oil). This is a regular, cross-linguistic compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent parts can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name trans-Alaska pipeline comes from a simple image: the part trans- means 'across' and a pipeline is a long pipe, so it is a very long pipe that runs 'across' Alaska to carry oil from the north to the port in the south.