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DRILLING IN ANWR

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DRILLING IN ANWR
Alaskan men have a long history of struggling to survive in the wilderness. Today, some, like the Gwich 'in, a native Alaskan tribe, still choose to live off nature. Recently, though a new argument has come to Alaska, one that could destroy the traditions of the Gwich’in forever. Politicians, environmentalists, economists and neighbors now fight over the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the arguments for drilling are worth consideration; however, in comparison to the evidence against it, they are neither convincing nor compelling. In order to fully understand why drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is such a big deal; we need to understand the history of the refuge. ANWR was created in 1980 by the United States Department of Interior. According to Scott Wallace of Smithsonian, federal legislators, at the time, set the land aside, not only to protect the United States’ large herd of caribou, but also for “possible future oil and gas development” (Wallace 52). Without a doubt, ANWR is valuable, both for its ecological uniqueness and its natural resources. ANWR’s wildlife is varied, and, according to Wallace (53), “dazzling.” In addition to hosting herds of caribou, he says, the refuge is home to polar bears, migratory birds, wolves, wolverines, musk ox, arctic foxes and snowy owls (Wallace 53). However, the oil beneath ANWR is also valuable. However, without drilling, no one knows the exact amount of oil that could be drawn from the refuge, estimates range from four to twelve billion barrels (Urstadt 74). This had lead many to believe that the refuge’s oil reserves should be tapped. For example, the Inupiat, favor drilling for oil. According to Wallace, they worry that without the money brought in from oil drilling, they will not be able to enjoy their modern comforts. These comforts include heating and plumbing. The Inupiat have these things, because of tax money generated from nearby oil fields (Wallace


Cited: "ARTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PART OF THE SOLUTION. " US Fed News Service, Including US State News [Washington, D.C.] 30 May 2006, Research Library. ProQuest. 15 Nov. 2007 < Kerr, Richard. "A modest drop in a big bucket. " Science 296.5567 (2002): 444. Research Library. ProQuest. 15 Nov. 2007 < Kaiser, Jocelyn. "Caribou study fuels debate on drilling in Arctic refuge." Science 296.556719 Apr 2002 444 445. Nov 14 2007. < Fmt=3&clientId=44507&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. “SEN. ALLEN PRAISES ARTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE VOTE. " US Fed News Service, Including US State News [Washington, D.C.] 16 Mar. 2005. Research Library. ProQuest. 15 Nov. 2007 Urstadt, Bryant. "Arctic Refuge May Soon Be in the Hands of Big Oil. Will It Drill Clean?" Technology Review Apr. 2005. Web. . Wallace, Scott. "ANWR The Great Divide." Smithsonian 36. 7 Oct 2005. 48 56. Nov 14 2007 .
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