Closing arguments have ended in a four-day hearing over the value of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, with the State of Alaska, major oil producers and local governments locking horns in a proceeding that included discussion of how much oil remains to be pumped off the North Slope. It’s not as much as many people hope, according to a state attorney. Early Thursday, the State Assessment Review Board that considers appeals of state assessments began deliberating, a process closed to the public that would continue at least through Friday, according to chair Jim Mosley. Whatever decision the board reaches, it will likely end up in court. The value of the pipeline, the artery that carries the lifeblood of oil-dependent Alaska, has been in hot dispute for years. The state Supreme Court early this year affirmed a lower court
MAI