100 likes | 239 Views
Drilling for Oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. LOWERING AMERICA’S RELIANCE ON FOREIGN OIL. Section 1002 of Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act required the Department of Interior to prepare a report to Congress that:
E N D
Drilling for Oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton
Section 1002 of Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act required the Department of Interior to prepare a report to Congress that: • identified areas on the coastal plain of ANWR with oil and gas production potential • estimate the volume of the oil and gas • recommend whether Congress should permit further oil and gas exploration and development in ANWR. It also required the Department of Interior to use techniques other than drilling well to evaluate the oil and gas potential of ANWR.
Wildlife in the 1002 area • Porcupine Caribou • Muskoxen • Polar Bears • 146 Bird Species • 8 Species of Marine Mammals • 7 Species of Freshwater Fish • 62 Species of Coastal Fish
REASONS TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT IN ANWR 1. Only 8% of ANWR Would Be Considered for Exploration. 2. Economic Impact 3. America's Best Chance for a Major Discovery 4. North Slope Production in Decline 5. No Negative Impact on Animals 6. Arctic Technology 7. Alaskans Support
Residents Support • The Inupiat Eskimo people are subsistence hunters and users of the North Slope’s fish and wildlife resources. • North Slope Inupiat Eskimo Jacob Adams, President of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation said "Our people have carefully observed oil and gas development at Prudhoe Bay and on the North Slope and its impact on fish and wildlife resources. It is our judgment, based upon close personal experience that we can have balanced and carefully regulated oil exploration and development on the Coastal Plain. We can preserve the environment and the resources or ANWR and still provide economic and energy security benefits to our people and the nation.”
New Jobs Created by ANWR Manufacturing 128,000 Mining 84,000 Trade 225,000 Services 145,000 Construction 135,000 Finance, Insurance, & 19,000 Real Estate Total 736,000
ANWR MYTHS • 95% of Alaska’s Arctic coast is open to oil and gas development. • The Coastal Plain may have only a 200 day supply of oil. That is not worth developing. • ANWR’s oil will be exported, and will not reduce our dependency on foreign oil. • Alaskan oil development is environmentally damaging • Coastal Plain is unspoiled wilderness, an Arctic Serengeti