Environment

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Environment Archives page.

Drilling Alaska: The Debate is Revived in Committee

It is still possible that the U.S. will drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

A congressional committee is currently working out the differences between the House and Senate energy bills in order to present President Bush with a single, unified version to sign into law. Committee leaders Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Billy Tauzin (R-LA) have decided to include a provision from the House bill that allows for drilling in ANWR.

Domenici and Tauzin claim that they will not include the controversial provision if the Senate threatens to filibuster. 43 Senators have sworn to do just that, and only 41 are needed. So why would Domenici and Tauzin include a provision that is likely to be defeated? One possibility is that they believe that several Senators will change their positions.

Senator Domenici has vowed to work to change Senators’ minds. He strongly believes that drilling in ANWR is good for the U.S.

Drilling debate

For over a decade, Americans have debated about drilling for oil in Alaska’s wildlife preserves. Both sides feel that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is the last frontier. Those who support drilling in ANWR believe it is one of the best remaining prospects for significant oil discovery in the United States; those who oppose drilling maintain that it is some of the last untouched wilderness in the country and there is not much oil there, especially compared to Canada.

Oil industry arguments:

There are very few prospects for drilling in the U.S. but there are many benefits to domestic oil:

• New domestic oil production would create new jobs and raise the gross national product by many billions of dollars.
• Imported oil is too costly and increases our dependence on the Middle East.
• Very little of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be affected by oil drilling and production. The draft proposal that is currently in committee allows development in just 2,000 acres of the 1.5 million-acre costal plain of ANWR.
• Oil and gas development can successfully coexist with Alaska’s arctic wildlife. The caribou herd at Prudhoe Bay (a huge oilfield) has grown in size, so the industry does not seem to inhibit mating and migration.
• The likelihood of finding oil in ANWR is one in five. The industry considers these to be good odds, since there is a potential for high return. The peak output could reach up to 800,000 barrels a day, or 10% of all U.S. production.

Environmentalist arguments:

Drilling for oil in ANWR is not the best solution to our energy problems.

• Improving the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles could save more barrels of oil than can be extracted from the Arctic Refuge.
• Oil is not a renewable resource, once we extract it from the land, it will be gone.
• Drilling for oil in ANWR is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. If we find oil in ANWR, it will last us a relatively short period of time. The damage that we do in extracting the oil could last for generations.
• Oil drilling and production in ANWR is certain to affect the plant and animal life there. ANWR is some of the last untouched land in the country, if not the world. It is not worth the risk of oil spills and damage to the fragile tundra.
• Studies show that the caribou can be negatively affected by development. Some developed areas in the region have seen a 20% decrease in herd birthrates.
• Drilling in Alaska will not solve the problems that we are having in the Middle East right now. It would take at least 10 years for oil from ANWR to be used in American fuel tanks. Our Canadian friends have vast oil reserves and a stable government. They are a better source.

Tribal conflicts

The Gwich’in, a Native American tribe in the region, strongly oppose the idea of drilling for oil in the nature preserve. They are particularly concerned about the Porcupine caribou that live there. For thousands of years, the Gwich’in tribe has relied on and honored the caribou. The animal is central to their cultural and spiritual life; the relationship parallels that of the Plains Indians and their Great Plains buffalo, which now face extinction. The Gwich’in do not want their honored caribou to meet the same fate.

Another native group, the Inupiat, is in favor of oil drilling in ANWR. The Inupiat Eskimos live on the North Slope costal plain, a region with no other industry due to its harsh conditions. In the winter, there is two months of total darkness and the temperature can drop to 50 below zero. Although they originally claimed the entire 55 million acres of the North Slope, they now own only 5 million, all of which are in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Oil drilling and production would bring considerable revenue to this group, allowing them to strengthen the North Slope Borough infrastructure. This means improved schools, healthcare, waterlines, and heating for the Inupiat people.

In addition, the Inupiat environmental regulations are much stricter than those of the EPA, so any drilling on their land is likely to do less damage. With the Inupiat as watchdogs, oil companies are less likely to violate environmental standards.

Alaska says yes

Many Alaskans are in favor of drilling for the same reason. The state stands to gain over a billion dollars from the enterprise. Since Alaska depends on the oil industry for most of its revenue, the state’s Senators and Representatives have reason to support the provision.

Voter feedback could be crucial

The committee folded ANWR drilling into the mix of the energy bill; therefore, many citizens are unaware that the issue has returned.

What do you think about oil production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Discuss it with other WomenMatter readers in our online forum. Read more about the environment as a life issue, and contact your representatives and let them know what you think.

Posted on: 9/26/2003

click here to go to next section

return to top