...The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located in the northeastern part of Alaska. It consists of over 19 million acres in northeast Alaska. It is run and controlled by the Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the interior. Its 1.5 million acre coastal plain located on Beau Fort Sea is currently viewed as one of the biggest and most likely next US onshore oil and gas prospect. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1960 to protect and maintaining its’ naturally maintaining area of arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems. In 1971, congress enacted the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to resolve all Native aboriginal land claims against the US. It provided monetary payments and also created Village Corps. In 1980, Congress enacted the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act which include several sections about ANWR. The Artic Range was renamed the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Section 1002 of ANILCA directed a study of the coastal plain, which is now known as the 10-02 area, which I will talk about later. The main objective is to protect and maintaining its naturally maintaining area of arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems. This refuge is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. There are many different species of big game that roam this area, there are 36 fish species, 36 kinds of land mammals, over 160 bird species and 9 marine animals, which include: caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, migratory birds...
Words: 1048 - Pages: 5
...Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Be Opened to Oil Drilling? SCI207 Dependence of Man on the environment July 11, 2010 Abstract The rising cost of gas has been a great debate for consumers and congress. Currently the price of gas is between $2.71 to 3.39 depending on what state you live in. Consumers are finding it more and more disturbing that gas is increasing what is it going to take to make the prices decrease? Is oil drilling here in the United Stated the best thing to do? Oil Drilling has been a topic for our government for years. It seems that the debate is that oil should be drilled hear in our United States. Some have stated that oil drilling would be costly. But it would also reduce the amount we consumers spend on gas. If drilling was to take place there is an area in Alaska where the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is. I hope to show the positive side of oil drilling in Alaska and the negative affects it will have on oil drilling. Currently, I understand both sides of drilling oil but it is not fair to kill off wildlife if oil drilling could be possibly found in areas where there aren’t any wildlife would be good or if the government could provide proof that if oil drilling was to take place that the wildlife would not be hurt. As we look at both sides of why to drill and why not we can explore just what seems to be the big problem we and what the decision should...
Words: 1872 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...ENERGY SUMMARY Sonji Toussaint-Watson SCI/362 August 27, 2012 Brandy Shroeder ENVIRONMENT The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge the need to find oil has been and still is an environmental issue that conflicts with the economy and this issue has been going back and forth since 1980. The Arctic refuge is home to many different species of animals which live in an area called America's Serengeti. Some of these animals include the arctic foxes, polar bear, wolverines and the snow geese just to name a few of the many animals that inhabit the area. If one was to come that area and start disrupting the land by digging for oil it can cause problems for animals that live there and use that land to birth and raise their babies, and this would be the herds of the caribou. Within the caribou family there is a herd called the Porcupine caribou which has over 150,000 caribou's within the group. And in addition the to the caribou herd which could be displaced and disrupted there are lots of plants which are important to the coastal plain and they are dominant to the area. Some of these plants include but not limited to be mosses, lichens, grasses, dwarf shrubs and lots of small herbs that is growing on the land. Even though the tundra is loaded with lots of biological richness, it is still a very delicate ecosystem due to its very harsh climate. The different organisms that reside...
Words: 1439 - Pages: 6
...In 1989, Exxon Corporation caused one of the worst environmental disasters. The oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 250,000 barrels, an amount equal to more than 10 million, into the waters of Alaska’s Prince William Sound after striking Bligh Reef at approximately 12:04 a.m. on March 24. The spill eventually covered 11,000 square miles of ocean and coated 1,300 miles of coastline. Shortly after the incident, different media piled in to begin extensive coverage often pointing out Exxon’s corporate irresponsibility. Company’s efforts to contain the spill were not good enough and slow but Exxon’s response was even slower. In addressing the problem, it tool company officials 10 hours after the accident to deploy booms that will contain the spill. Company executives refused to comment on the accident for almost a week and refusing to acknowledge the extent of the problem. In addition, statements made to the press by high-ranking executives were often inconsistent and contained contradictory information making the press question the credibility and truthfulness of Exxon. After the Exxon Valdez ran aground, the company conducted all its communication from the small town of Valdez, Alaska. This area proved inadequate, having only limited communication capabilities. Exxon seemed unwilling to disseminate its information using any other method or location. But the biggest criticism the company received was the fact that CEO Lawrence Rawl waited nearly six days to make a public statement...
Words: 1974 - Pages: 8
...| Midterm Review Project | Chapter 4-14 | | | 1/16/2014 | AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CHAPTER 4 EARTH SYSTEMS AND RESOURCES I. The Nature of Ecology a. Ecology is the study of connections in nature i. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their non-living environment ii. An organism is any form of life. The cell is the basic unit of life in organisms. b. Population i. Members of a species interact in groups called populations. ii. Species of the same population live together in a particular place or habitat. c. Communities and Ecosystems i. A community consists of populations of different species living and interacting in an area ii. An ecosystem is a community interacting with its physical environment of matter and energy. II. The Earth’s life support systems a. The different spheres of life-parts of Earth that support life systems. i. The Earth is made up of interconnected spherical layers that contain air, water, soil, minerals, and life. i.i Atmosphere: thin envelope or membrane of air around the planet. Its inner layer is the troposphere; it extends only about 17 km above sea level. i.ii Stratosphere: subsequent layer; its lower portion contains ozone to filter out the sun’s harmful...
Words: 5886 - Pages: 24
