Is It Time to Drill in the Arctic Refuge? >
Oil and Wildlife Do Not Mix
Opening ANWR to oil and gas drilling will irreparably damage the fragile tundra and its wildlife
November 3, 2011
About Dan Ritzman:
Dan Ritzman is the Alaska Program Director for the Sierra Club's Resilient Habitats Campaign. For more than a decade he has worked to thwart efforts to open the Arctic Refuge to oil development and to protect special areas of America's Arctic. Dan has a passion for America's Arctic and has undertaken over 35 trips north of the Arctic Circle.
From the peaks of the Brooks Range, across rolling tundra, wild rivers and vast wetlands to sparkling coastal waters, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a stunning array of wildlife. The refuge contains the greatest diversity of animal life of any conservation area in the circumpolar region. It was created to protect the many unique, and often endangered, animals that exist in the delicate balance of the extreme Arctic conditions.
[See a collection of political cartoons on gas prices.]
But the Arctic is home to more than just rich scenery and stunning wildlife. The indigenous Gwich'in and Inupiat people have lived in the Arctic and relied on the bounty of the refuge for more than 20,000 years.
Opening the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas drilling will irreparably damage the fragile tundra and its wildlife, threatening native subsistence communities. To understand what's at stake, look at Prudhoe Bay, where less than 100 miles west of the Arctic Refuge drilling has resulted in hundreds of spills involving tens of thousands of gallons of oil each year. A similar fate awaits the coastal plain of the refuge if oil companies get their way. Oil and wildlife do not mix. Behind shallow assurances of safety and environmental responsibility is a dismal record of spills, air and water pollution by oil and gas companies.
Drilling proponents will say anything for a chance to exploit this American treasure for their own gain. Last week, Arctic Refuge drilling was heralded as the answer to our budget woes. This week? It is a jobs' savior. Next week? Perhaps Arctic Refuge drilling will be hailed as the answer to world peace.
[Read about how competition impacts gas prices.]
The truth is, drilling in the Arctic Refuge, one of our nation's last great wilderness places, will do next to nothing to reduce unemployment, our budget deficit, or gas prices--and it likely won't bring about world peace.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of our nation's last great wild places. It should not be opened to destructive oil and gas drilling but saved for future generations. If we have the vision and boldness to protect it, our children will thank us.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is currently deciding the future of the refuge. The agency should protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, prohibiting oil and gas drilling. Some places are just too special to drill; the Arctic Refuge is one of them.
- Read Obama Administration Must Open 'Energy Highways'.
- See a collection of political cartoons on energy policy.
- Read East Coast Oil Infrastructure Remains Vulnerable.
- Other Arguments
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#1457174
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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#2244134
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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#4208123
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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#5211129
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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#6184130
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#7227253
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#8208242
Yes — Alaskans have consistently supported oil exploration on ANWR's coastal plain
JOHN FLEMING, U.S. Congressman
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#9138225
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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#10142231
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#11135228
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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#12123218
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 (4)
Jay Page of AK 1:33AM November 04, 2011
Lisa Walker of AK 1:10AM November 04, 2011
Sindy of CO 7:29PM November 03, 2011