Alaska wins statehood

Swanson River field on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula convinced Congress the oil industry could provide economic basis for statehood

Kay Cashman

Petroleum News

Alaska’s fight for self-determination is nothing new; in fact, even the quest for statehood set the stage for a bitter fight in Congress. The threat of filibuster hung over Senate debate on the issue. “When we got statehood, we went around the rules of the House. We went right to the floor; we had a....