Alaska pipeline being restarted

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The operator of the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline says it has received government approval to restart it, three days after a leak was found near a pump station at Prudhoe Bay.

The Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. says the plan is to restart the pipeline and warm things up to prevent ice and wax from building in the line.

The company says state and federal regulators gave the green light Tuesday afternoon to do what is being described as an "interim restart." Alyeska spokeswoman Michelle Egan says the restart will allow some oil to begin flowing again.

The pipeline has been shut down since Saturday. Egan says alternative pipe can be used for now to move the oil.

The shutdown has been one of the longest since the pipeline began operating in 1977.