Drilling for Oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge

The United States should not drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge because it would harm the environment, disrupt the animals, and destroy plants. The United States Congress created the Artic National Wildlife Refuge in 1980 (To drill or not to drill?: 6). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is also known as ANWR (To drill or not to drill?: 6). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is 19.6 million acres of wilderness (Scalzo, Jim Lo.: 37). Of the 19.6 million acres in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge 17.5 million acres are permanently closed to development. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is often called the "American Serengeti" (Defenders of Wildlife). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge lies in the northeast corner of Alaska (Predger, David). The entire refuge lies north of the Arctic Circle and 1,300 miles south of the North Pole (Predger, David). The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is the size of South Carolina (Predger, David). If ANWR was a state it would be bigger than ten other states (Predger, David). If the United States did drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge there is an estimated 10.4 billion barrels on the North Slope (One state 's free lunch: 28-32). The North Slope covers 89,000 square miles (Experts say Alaska Oil Drilling Hurts Wildlife: 43). The North Slope extends from the top of the Brooks Range to the Artic coast (Experts say Alaska Oil Drilling Hurts Wildlife: 43). The United States Congress wants to drill for oil and natural gas in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (Battles loom in
Congress Over ANWR.: 2) The United States Congress is split in half, give or take, on whether to drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge or not to drill (Schneiderman, Emma: 4). Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil a day are being produced from the fields that are already tapped (Predger, David). Another reason why the United States should not drill in the Artic National Wildlife Reserve is because it

Cited: "Battles Loom in Congress Over ANWR Energy Bill." The Oil Daily 4 January 2005: 2. "Come on in." The Economist 19 -25 March 2005: 38. "Defenders of Wildlife." Help save the Artic National Wildlife Refuge A project of Defenders of Wildlife. 30 March 2005. "Experts Say Alaska Oil Drilling Hurts Wildlife, Local Culture." The Oil Daily 5 March 2003: 43. "One state 's free lunch." The Economist 11-17 December 2004: 28-32. Predger, David. "Artic National Wildlife Refuge." 2005. Artic Power. 30 March 2005. Scalzo, Jim Lo. "Poking an Environmental Hot Spot." Us News & World Report 21 February 2005: 37. Schneiderman, Emma. "Alternative energy Sources. (No Drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge!"). Skipping Stones January – February 2003:4. "The Artic National Wildlife Refuge." Alaska Wilderness League. Your Voice for Alaska 's Wilderness in the Nation 's Capital. Alaska Wilderness League 30 March 2005 "To drill or not to drill? Should oil companies drill for oil in the remote Alaska wilderness?" Know Your World Extra 12 March 2004:6