Editing Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (section)

=== Congressional issues ===
With the appeals court having decided that the Minerals Leasing Act did not cover the pipeline's requirements, Alyeska and the oil companies began lobbying Congress to either amend the act or create a new law that would permit a larger right-of-way. The Senate Interior Committee began the first hearings on a series of bills to that effect on March 9, 1973.<ref>Coates, p. 237</ref> Environmental opposition switched from contesting the pipeline on NEPA grounds to fighting an amendment to the leasing act or a new bill.<ref>Coates, pp. 237–239</ref> By the spring and summer of 1973, these opposition groups attempted to persuade Congress to endorse a Trans-Canada oil pipeline or a railroad. They believed the "leave it in the ground" argument was doomed to fail, and the best way to oppose the pipeline would be to propose an ineffective alternative which could be easily defeated.<ref>Coates, pp. 241–243</ref> The problem with this approach was that any such alternative would cover more ground and be more damaging environmentally than the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.<ref>Coates, p. 244</ref>

Hearings in both the U.S. Senate and the House continued through the summer of 1973 on both new bills and amendments to the Mineral Leasing Act. On July 13, an amendment calling for more study of the project—the Mondale-Bayh Amendment—was defeated.<ref>Coates, p. 245</ref> This was followed by another victory for pipeline proponents when an amendment by Alaska Sen. [[Mike Gravel]] was passed by the Senate. The amendment declared that the pipeline project fulfilled all aspects of NEPA and modified the Mineral Leasing Act to allow the larger right-of-way for the Alaska pipeline.<ref>Mead, p. 167</ref> Upon [[reconsider]]ation, the vote was tied at 49–49 and required the vote of vice president [[Spiro Agnew]], who supported the amendment;<ref>Coates, p. 246</ref> a&nbsp;similar amendment was passed in the House on August 2.<ref>Coates, p. 247</ref><ref name=thrbypv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=euZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5405%2C774368 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Alaskans thrilled by pipeline vote |date=August 3, 1973 |page=3A}}</ref>