To Tap Or Not To Tap

To Tap Or Not To Tap

"The 16 billion barrels of oil that lie untapped there would be more than enough to replace the oil Americans purchase from Iraq over 58 years" (Coon 1). The United States is currently involved in a long debate in the U.S. congress to pass legislation to start drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. The 19 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge which was set aside by President Eisenhower in 1960, lies in the northeast corner of Alaska. The refuge as a whole lies north of the Artic Circle and 1,300 miles south of the North Pole. The coastal plain area or section 1002 consist of 1.5 million acres on the northern edge of ANWR. This 1.5 million acres on the northern edge is 8 percent of ANWR and the only area being considered for development by congress. The issue whether or not to drill in the ANWR arises mostly from the United State's current energy crisis.

This debate is really complex and there are many issues involved. The U.S. domestic oil accounts for close to 25 percent of oil and most of the amount comes from the oil drilling in Alaska on the Northern slope area. Drilling in Alaska began in 1974 and has continued over the last few decades. Drilling in the Northern slope area was one of our attempts to solve our energy concerns here in the U.S. The problem is that domestic oil production has been decreasing each year. In the 1980s oil production at its peak produced several million barrels a day, but now roughly 943,000 barrels of oil are being produced a day. Since there is a steady decrease in domestic oil production, the U.S. has increased its imports of foreign oil. Reasons like increasing domestic oil production, among others, are why many supporters look to explore and drill in the coastal plain or section 1002 in ANWR. Others argue that it would be irresponsible to sacrifice our national treasure for what they say is only a few months supply of oil. Opposition to drilling also feels that it would have a great affect on the environment and all of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge's great species such as the porcupine caribou.

Another attempt to solve the problem was in 1995 when congress passed a massive federal budget reconciliation bill that mandated ANWR development, but president Clinton vetoed the entire bill. Although the bill got vetoed, I still believe the problem is solvable. My solution is to again try to open up the coastal plain area in ANWR immediately for exploration and drilling with concerns for the environment and wildlife.

88 percent of the energy for America's transportation, industry, government and residential needs comes from gas, coal, and of course, oil. No combination of conservation, technology, or alternatives can even come close to replacing these fuels. It will take years for research, testing, construction, etc. for other alternatives to be understood. When alternative energy sources become practical and economical we will use them, but until then fossil fuels must be relied upon. "Today's domestic oil production comes from around 150,000 wells scattered throughout the country; they average only 15 barrels a day (anwr.org)". There have been no new major discoveries in all the states except Alaska in thirty years. With the U.S. population increasing we must either produce more or import more. Overall, the ANWR is the most ideal area with the largest supply and the smallest probability of physical impact.

Another justification to open up the coastal plain in ANWR is because it will increase the number of jobs all over the U.S. Between 250,000 and 750,000 jobs are estimated to be created if ANWR was opened up for development. Not only would all these jobs have an economic impact, but the drilling in ANWR in general would as well. "Between 1977 and 2004, North Slope oil field development and production activity contributed over $50 billion to the nations economy, directly impacting each state in the union" (anwr.org).

Maybe the most important reason why we should support development in the coastal plain of ANWR is because it will mean the U.S. will rely less on foreign oil. U.S. dependence on foreign oil rose after a Arabian oil embargo in 1973 from 35 percent to more than 52 percent in 2000. A prediction from the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that this figure will rise to 64 percent by 2020 if our domestic supplies do not increase. Of course, drilling in the ANWR could help this problem therefore, increasing U.S. energy independence. "Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimate that drilling in ANWR could yield up to 16 billion barrels of oil-an amount roughly equal to 30 years of imports from Saudi Arabia" (Coon 1). After all, wouldn't any increase of oil independence help the American people with the probable national disaster that now hangs over our heads?

The biggest problem and counter-argument that supporters for drilling in ANWR face comes from environmentalists. The ANWR is often called the crown jewel of America's National Wildlife Refuge system and sometimes referred to as the "American Serengeti". In the Artic National Wildlife Refuge live caribou, polar bears, musk oxen, artic foxes, brown bears, snow geese, plus many more. Since the refuge is so pristine and all of the