India, Sept. 7 -- The US Bureau of Land Management has opened a 15-day scoping period for a proposed 30-year renewal of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System's federal right-of-way.

The 800-mile pipeline, authorised in 1974 and built between 1974 and 1977, carries oil from Alaska's North Slope to the Valdez Marine Terminal.

The current federal right-of-way is not due to expire until 2034, but pipeline operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Company has sought an early renewal.

Environmental critics say the shortened review period may limit scrutiny of climate impacts, ageing infrastructure and risks from thawing permafrost.

The United States government under President Donald Trump has begun the process of renewing a right-of-way agreement that w...