Developing Domestic Oil Resources Is Part of the Solution

About Marilyn Crockett:

Marilyn Crockett is the Executive Director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA), and has been with the organization for more than 41 years. AOGA is a private nonprofit trade association whose 16 member companies account for the majority of oil and gas exploration, development, production, transportation, refining and marketing activities in Alaska. AOGA's mission is to foster the long-term viability of the oil and gas industry in Alaska.

In 1995, Congress approved drilling on the Coastal Plain--or 10-02 area--of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Had President Clinton not vetoed that legislation, oil from the 10-02 area would be flowing through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline today, reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and fueling our economy with jobs and billions of dollars in tax and royalty revenues to state, local, and federal governments.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the economy.]

The coastal plain has the highest potential for oil onshore in the United States, up to 16 billion barrels, according to estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey. In comparison, since the 1970s, more than 16 billion barrels of oil have been produced from Alaska's North Slope. Oil production from the Coastal Plain could be expected to flow through TAPS for at least another 30 years.

The resources on the coastal plain are accessible and close to the largest oil field in the United States, Prudhoe Bay. Since satellite fields and feeder pipelines already exist within a few miles of ANWR's border, production could be flowing through TAPS much earlier than from other frontier areas. Moreover, development would occur on a minute portion of the refuge, 2,000 acres, or about one-tenth of 1-percent of the refuge's acreage.

[Read East Coast Oil Infrastructure Remains Vulnerable.]

The existing statutory and regulatory scheme requires companies working in Alaska to perform to the highest environmental standards in the world. In addition, new technologies such as 3D seismic and extended-reach drilling have significantly reduced surface footprints while reaching much larger subsurface areas. Fields can be developed using these technologies in combination with site-specific mitigation measures, further reducing environmental impacts.

In 2010, the U.S. consumed 19.1 million barrels of petroleum products per day, importing over 50 percent, costing hundreds of millions of dollars per day and resulting in the export of hundreds of thousands of jobs. While there is no single solution to meet these needs in the future, developing domestic oil resources should be part of the equation. Ignoring ANWR is short-sighted, dangerous and a drain on the U.S. economy. The time to drill ANWR is now.

• See a collection of political cartoons on gas prices.
• See the 10 priciest years in history for gas.
  
• Read Obama Administration Must Open 'Energy Highways'.

Tags:

energy,

oil,

environment,

Arctic,

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge