The fleecing of ANWR

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) covers 19 million acres of desolate tundra in northeastern Alaska. Most of this area was set aside by Congress in 1980, and is larger than the state of West Virginia. 1.5 million acres of those acres in the ANWR field, along the north coast, are planned for exploration. Of that land, 2,000 to 5,000 acres would face drilling and almost all of the 1.5 million acres would have oil transported over it. In an evaluation done in 1987, the Department of the Interior found that the oil fields in the ANWR may hold as much as 9.2 trillion barrels of oil, and at the very least, 600 million b

Many scientific advances have taken place in the last ten years in petroleum engineering and arctic drilling. “These days satellites and 3-D seismic imagery produce detailed underground maps that pinpoint the deep `traps' where oil hides” [4:2]. Drilling can also be done horizontally for miles, so fewer drill sites are needed for the same amount of oil. This practice is so effective, Arco believes, that they say they can develop an oilfield that encompasses forty thousand acres with a gravel footprint of just a hundred and fifteen acres. Their plans also call for buried or raised pipelines to avoid interference with the caribou migrations, restriction of truck and air traffic, and roads built entirely out of ice.

For a place that appears void of all life, the ANWR field possess an astounding variety of wildlife. Polar bears dig their dens in the snowdrifts along the coast. Grizzlies inhabit the area and find grayling, Arctic char, and whitefish throughout the many rivers, which are home to 20 other varieties of fish. Peregrines, gyrfalcons, and rough-legged hawks also nest in the ANWR. The famous Porcupine caribou herd migrates through and lives in the region, bringing with it a variety of predators; wolves, ravens, wolverines, and native hunters. Moose are prevalent in the ANWR as well. Spectacled eiders, yellow-billed loons, buff-breasted sandpipers, Sabine's gulls and dozens of other species nest and mate in the reserve. The area has many lakes where some 35,000 geese come to molt each spring. This area houses some of the wildest terrain on the planet, almost completely untouched. David van der Berg claims that ANWR “is unquestionably the wildest place in North America. True wilderness is now so much scarcer than oil” [2:3]. The great Porcupine herd migrates every year through ANWR. The herd moves through the area by the thousands. The sight of the migration is so awesome, the experience left Reed McManus and his party “bundled up against the cold, our mouths agape, wondering if what we witnessed was real or some sort of illusion in the arctic fog” [3:5].

One interesting thing about all of the financial aspects, is who would really gain the most? Alaska and the nation of America would surely bare the damage to nature on their shoulders, but England would make the money. That's right, with the recent ARCO buy out by a British drilling company, the British would be most likely to drill on the coast. Although it may sound great that we would be getting paid for the use of our land, it doesn't help us near as much as it helps England. Once the ultra wealthy British oil magnates make their money, they are most certainly not going to pump the money back into our economic system, or boost our economy. All of the money goes back to Mother England.

Some topics in this essay:
Bill Bradley, Wildlife Refuge, Prudoe Bay, Considering Alaska, Wildlife Service, North Slope, Reed McManus, Oil Alaskan, Prudhoe Bay, ANWR Spectacled, oil companies, north slope, porcupine caribou herd, porcupine caribou, methods improved, caribou herd, oil fields, wildlife refuge, alaskan economy, oil alaskan, boost economy, oil alaskan economy,