Be that as it may, you are still talking about an engineering problem. With a little bit of knowledge and great engineering, you sent a payload to the moon. As to the stuff’s ultimate destination, that is beside the point. Alaska oil goes to Japan because in the end, it all might as well come out of the same well. But it IS black gold, and anyone who wants to think they can have an 18th century environment in this century should be willing to go back to the whole technology of that time,
The Japan export is basically a false legend. Look at a map.
It is 3,577 miles from Valdez, Alaska to Tokyo, Japan.
It is 1,274 miles from Valdez, Alaska to Anacortes, Washington. (largest Washington refineries)
It is 2,253 miles from Valdez, Alaska to El Segundo, California (major refinery near Los Angeles)
Until 1996 it was illegal to export Alaskan North Slope Crude oil because of the Congressional Approval used to create the pipeline.
In the mid-late 1990’s, because of a glut of oil on the West coast, this was relieved and less than 5% of ANS crude was exported. That quit by 2000.