Taylor Mills
ENG102-16798
15 October, 2014
Peer Review
Arctic Wildlife Refuge: Controversy
Drilling in Alaska has been debated for more than a decade and this topic is still unsettled. Oil companies are urging the United States and the Alaskan government to let them start drilling for the good of the United States economy; the essence of this complicated conflict splits in two main arguments that the Arctic contains a significant oil discovery and will bring more opportunities for Americans, on the opposing view the Arctic contains the last true “Wilderness” in the country. Both viewpoints are debatable and hold good points while drilling could save the United States millions, environmentalist argue that it will do little good for the United …show more content…
Geological Survey. The Northern slope of the ANWR is estimated to contain 10.4 barrels of oil. This would be more than what the United States imports from Mexico, India, Indonesia and many more countries. Drilling at its peak the ANWR could produce 1.45 million barrels per day; this is more than the United States imports from Sudan (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 2013). In the Chart below the prediction for the United States future oil by 2030 is up due to drilling in the ANWR. Drilling in the ANWR would lessen reliance on importing from foreign countries. The US is very dependent on foreign oil in 2012 the US imported 10.6 millions of barrels per day. On the graph below it shows how much the US needs foreign oil; drilling in the ANWR could decrease these numbers and give more jobs to Americans.
2012: Top sources of imported petroleum to the United States million barrels per day and percent share of gross and net imports
Import source Gross imports Exports to import source Net …show more content…
In two decades there has been nine legislation rallies against drilling in the ANWR by Alaska’s natives. Drilling in the ANWR challenges the survival of the natives by impacting their traditions and food supply. Kelvin Long of the Arizona Diné and Navajo Nation gathers with the Alaskan natives to rally against congress in Washington D.C because they said indigenous people need to stick together; Kelvin Long stated "As indigenous people there’s very few of us left even here in North America that speak our own language, know our prayers, can identify plants and hunt and butcher the animals," he said "We’re the last ones hanging on to the culture; I want to be here and stand next to them." Drilling in the ANWR does not only effect their cultural but their food supply, Gwich'in people of northeast Alaska and the northern Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada, depend on the migratory caribou herds and the Arctic fisheries for food. (Arctic-National Wildlife Federation, 2014) If the US decides to drill in the ANWR the sea life will decrease and if an oil spill happens perhaps what will the government do to clean and make sure that does not happen. Climate change is already on a rise and loss of ice in Alaska is at its high, drilling will only cause this number to