Short Story
Gary Torry
English II
July 16, 2013
Drill or No Drill?
The National Artic Wildlife Refuge (NAWR) is home to many animals, such as: moose, caribou,musk oxen,wolves,foxes, grizzlies, polar bears, and migratory birds. Leaders in the oil industry, however, believe that the refuge is the perfect site for the “environmentally sensitive exploration” of oil. Environmentalists are wondering: What will become of the wildlife there?
When George W. Bush was in office, he and oil industry, as well as others, believed that Americans will benefit from the oil that lied under the snow-filled surface of the refuge. In their opinion, the oil will help reduce high prices and decrease our need for oil from other countries.
I believe the cost of this drilling is too high. I agree with environmentalists who fear that drilling will disturb the migration of more than 130,000 caribou. Each spring, the caribou travels about 400 miles to give birth on the coastal plain. In this area of the refuge, there are fewer predators. In addition, experts say that the oil in the area adds up to less than a six-month supply. Is such a small amount of oil worth the risk drilling poses to these animals?
Americans are the largest consumers of oil. Instead of drilling for oil, we should decrease our need for foreign oil simply by using less of it. We must all work together to cut back on the oil we use in order to preserve the wildlife of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
English II
July 16, 2013
Drill or No Drill?
The National Artic Wildlife Refuge (NAWR) is home to many animals, such as: moose, caribou,musk oxen,wolves,foxes, grizzlies, polar bears, and migratory birds. Leaders in the oil industry, however, believe that the refuge is the perfect site for the “environmentally sensitive exploration” of oil. Environmentalists are wondering: What will become of the wildlife there?
When George W. Bush was in office, he and oil industry, as well as others, believed that Americans will benefit from the oil that lied under the snow-filled surface of the refuge. In their opinion, the oil will help reduce high prices and decrease our need for oil from other countries.
I believe the cost of this drilling is too high. I agree with environmentalists who fear that drilling will disturb the migration of more than 130,000 caribou. Each spring, the caribou travels about 400 miles to give birth on the coastal plain. In this area of the refuge, there are fewer predators. In addition, experts say that the oil in the area adds up to less than a six-month supply. Is such a small amount of oil worth the risk drilling poses to these animals?
Americans are the largest consumers of oil. Instead of drilling for oil, we should decrease our need for foreign oil simply by using less of it. We must all work together to cut back on the oil we use in order to preserve the wildlife of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge