Is It Time to Drill in the Arctic Refuge? >
No More Environmental Roadblocks to Alaskan Oil Exploration
Alaskans have consistently supported oil exploration on ANWR's coastal plain
November 3, 2011
About John Fleming:
Congressman John Fleming, M.D., represents Louisiana's 4th District. He is Chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs, and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He is also a physician and small business owner.
Yes, the time has come to take the federal padlock off an area that was designated for oil exploration more than 30 years ago. The United States needs the jobs and oil that a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, could yield.
In 1980, a Democrat in the White House and a Democrat-majority Congress set aside 1.5 million acres of the 19 million-acre ANWR for oil and natural gas development. But ANWR has remained trapped in the grip of extreme environmental politics.
[Read about how competition impacts gas prices.]
I know firsthand how the federal government is keeping us dependent on foreign oil. The Obama administration wasted stimulus dollars on failed "green energy" projects, while showing contempt for the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico. After imposing a months-long moratorium on drilling permits, the administration has used a "slowatorium" for the past year to dramatically slow the pace of granting permits.
We desperately need an energy policy which recognizes that the United States has the largest energy reserves in the world. By opening less than 3 percent of ANWR's total land, we could tap into more than 10 billion barrels of oil, create tens of thousands of new jobs, and raise billions of dollars in new federal revenue. Instead, we are importing about 9 million barrels a day of crude oil and other petroleum products, and paying the price in higher energy costs and lost jobs.
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Alaskans, by overwhelming majorities, have consistently supported oil exploration on ANWR's coastal plain. But they have been met by bureaucrats who continue to bar the door of opportunity. The people of Louisiana understand. We give a similar resounding "yes" to questions about our support for offshore drilling, and yet we regularly face job-destroying regulations and permit delays.
Responsible exploration in ANWR must be part of a commonsense approach to weaning the United States off its energy dependence on foreign countries. Environmentalists have kept the roadblocks up long enough. It's time for Congress to act and to ensure that domestic oil will be there in the future through safe and responsible exploration in ANWR.
- Read East Coast Oil Infrastructure Remains Vulnerable.
- See a collection of political cartoons on the economy.
- Check out our Energy Intelligence blog.
- Other Arguments
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No — Federal agencies, oil companies are ill-equipped to respond to deadly messes that are part of the business
JESSICA ENNIS, Legislative Representative at Earthjustice
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No — The oil and gas industry should be exploring alternative energy, not alternative lands
WILLIAM H. MEADOWS, President of The Wilderness Society
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No — Opening ANWR to oil and gas drilling will irreparably damage the fragile tundra and its wildlife
DAN RITZMAN, Alaska Program Director for the Sierra Club's Resilient Habitats Campaign
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No — The Alaskan refuge belongs to the American people, not the oil industry
FRANCES BEINECKE, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council
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No — Oil speculated to be beneath the Arctic Refuge would add less than 1 percent to global oil production
CINDY SHOGAN, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League
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Yes — We want to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil
DAN SULLIVAN, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources
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Yes — ANWR coastal plain has the highest potential for oil onshore in the U.S.
MARILYN CROCKETT, Executive Director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association
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Yes — A long-term strategy for energy security must involve alternatives to petroleum-based fuels
ROBBIE DIAMOND, Founder, President and CEO of Securing America's Future Energy
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Reader Comments Read all comments (9)
Greg R. of CA 4:38PM November 15, 2011
jon of FL 2:42PM November 04, 2011
David Platt of PA 12:44PM November 04, 2011