Leaking Alaska oil pipeline repaired

A leak in a section of pipe discovered earlier this month in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System has been repaired, and the operator of the pipeline is preparing to restart the flow of oil Monday.

The flow of oil through the system, the largest in Alaska, was halted Jan. 8 after a small leak was discovered in a section of the pipe. Lawmakers, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), have raised concerns about the incident's effect on oil prices.

Alyeska, the operator of the pipeline, temporarily restarted the flow of oil last week in order to keep the line from freezing in the sub-zero temperatures of Alaska’s North Slope.

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) raised concerns that restarting the pipeline would result in more leaking oil that might not be properly disposed of. But the incident commander in charge of overseeing the response to the spill says a containment tank has been set up to catch oil that leaked as a result of the restart. As of Jan. 14, the containment tank caught 267 barrels of oil and monitoring of the area around the leak indicates that there are no further leaks, the incident command center said in a statement.

Beginning this weekend, Alyeska stopped the flow of oil in order to repair the line. The line was successfully repaired and oil will soon begin flowing through the pipeline again, Reuters reports.

This will come as welcome news for the owners of the line, a coalition of oil companies that includes BP. It will also alleviate concerns about oil prices and supply. The pipeline carries about 15 percent of the countries domestic oil production.