It was set aside by the government in for the wildlife of Alaska and is one of the most pristine areas in the world. The debate has been whether or not to open it up for drilling. The government seems to be split on this issue half and half. In the past few years, President Bush has been pushing to drill for oil in that area, but he needs both the House of Representatives and the Senate to approval. Regardless of the claims made by those who are opposed to the idea, drilling for oil in ANWR is more logical for many reasons, such as, very minimal affects on the wilderness, less reliance on foreign oil, and many new jobs will be created.
Those opposed say that drilling for oil in ANWR won't decrease our reliance on imported oil. But that really isn't true. It doesn't make sense for America to ignore the oil reserves in its borders and rely on oil-producing countries, which allies to terrorist groups. If we have a lot of oil here in our own country, why don't we use it? Those opposed to oil drilling in ANWR also say that with the new fuel efficient cars being made, we don't need to drill in this region.
But what is misunderstood is that the development of these cars will take many more years. If we need the oil now, we should look inside our own borders first to get it. They say there is too small of a supply of oil in ANWR. Well, in the wintertime it's — it is a wasteland. I mean, it is, you know, barren. There's no animals — hardly any animals there in wintertime. It is. The activity would happen — occur in the wintertime where there's no animals, like the senator said, Senator Stevens said.
Right now we are looking for caribou up in the foothills or up in the mountains. I have spent quite a bit of time there, Gwen. I'm not as fortunate as Fenton to live there but over the past 15 years I've traveled there numerous times and every time the arctic refuge surprises me: Wolves hunting caribou, nesting swans, the light on the Arctic Ocean. It's quite an incredible natural ecosystem in motion. And then one of the more incredible things is that people often misrepresent drilling.
It does not occur just in the winter. So during those critical summer months — it happens all year round — exploration, development, and production occurs. We do have significant concerns both for the Gwich'in Nation as well as for the ecosystem. People have —. The Athapaskan people from arctic villages as well as all the way farther east into Canada are concerned about the future of the coastal plain for the Porcupine Caribou herd, which is important. I cannot speak for the Gwich'in, but as they've communicated to me in the past, concerns for the future that of herd both for their culture and their livelihoods.
Yes, I will respond to that very well. When these caribou co-mingle together, they bring several hundred caribou along with each other. In fact, the caribou herd that went to Kaktovik miles from west of us went to area winter, they brought along the central arctic herd as well. There's several hundred thousand caribou up on the arctic slope. So when we hear that the Porcupine Caribou heard is when is open —. That's the million and a half acres that is going to be open, and when we talk about the central arctic herd, or the Pacific herd, they commingle with each other and they bring along, you know, several hundred caribou that — so you know, central arctic herd that we depend on are right there in Prudhoe Bay and they've multiplied many, many times over, over the past several years.
In a broad sense, and I'll start with you, Ms. Huffines, what would be lost and what would be gained if this region were opened to exploration?
Unfortunately, the National Academy of Sciences recently documented the cumulative impacts of oil and gas development to this region. There's no mistaking the harm to the caribou, to the birds, to the clean water and the clean air.
And it doesn't take science to prove that to you. If you go to the oil fields, it's pipelines, it's roads; it's gas flaring, it's industrial sprawl over a thousand square miles. That's the Prudhoe Bay area moving west, and so the harm to the wildlife and the culture is quite clear if anyone spends time up there, and that's the unfortunate part. It's your wildlife and your culture, Mr.
What is to be lost or gained if this were to happen? Well, I'll just let the people know, I live in Kaktovik all year round and we're very afraid when Prudhoe Bay was first — when oil was discovered in We were opposed to the oil and gas development. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Correction appended. Congress is on the hunt for cash to offset Republicans' planned tax cuts.
Anti-drilling: environmental groups, congressional Democrats and some Alaska Natives. The backstory When National Park Service scientists Lowell Sumner and George Collins visited the Brooks Range mountains in the early s, they were struck by the remoteness of the wilderness of northeastern Alaska. What's the latest? Just how much oil? Would anyone drill?
Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Dunleavy said. Congress created the The decision is expected to be challenged in court by environmental groups.
Lesley Stahl flies over Alaska in The land is home to polar bears, used by caribou during calving season, and part of the migratory route for snow geese.
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