What is ANWR? These letters stand for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is located, as you can see, in the upper northeast portion of Alaska. This is the area that is at issue with regard to oil drilling in the United States, along with coastal waters. We had the chance to ameliorate the situation back in 2002 yet failed to grasp the opportunity. What kind of find might be made in ANWR? It is estimated:
Geologists agree that the Coastal Plain has the nation’s best geologic prospects for major new onshore oil discoveries. According to the Department of Interior’s 1987 resource evaluation of ANWR’s Coastal Plain, there is a 95% chance that a ‘super field’ with 500 million barrels would be discovered. DOI also estimates that there exists a mean of 3.5 billion barrels, and a 5% chance that a large Prudhoe Bay type discovery would be made.
I am a great advocate of drilling off our national coastlines and in ANWR, if for no other reason than to buttress our Strategic Petroleum Reserve for military needs. Yes, conversion to petroleum would take “time.” So what? Not acting guarantees that nothing will occur.
The Left seems to believe that drilling in ANWR is the Conservatives’ only answer to the oil energy problem. On the other hand, the only answer proffered by The Left to energy is “conserve.” Energy solutions come via a multi-layered and multi-pronged attack. Conservation is but one aspect; drilling off the coast and in ANWR is only one aspect.
On this vein, I reproduce here portions of a circulating e-mail of which we all need to be aware:
1. ANWR is in the ANWR Coastal plain:
2. This is ANWR’s relationship to the state of Alaska:
3. The delineated coastal plain is the target point of drilling, not the entire area in yellow, and not directly on the coast itself.
4. From the ANWR website, this is what the ANWR looks like.
5. This is ANWR in winter:
6. ANWR in summer (next two photographs):
7. Google Maps (2) indicates where the drilling is to occur — a barren wasteland, essentially:
8. Here is the “depleted wildlife” situation seen (in summer) created by drilling near Prudhoe Bay (P. Bay accounts for 17% of US domestic oil production):
9. The same location in winter:
10. Here, wildlife avoids the drilling area:
Again, I repeat: drilling off our coasts or in ANWR is no guarantee of reduced pricing or markedly increased production, and certainly not immediately. But I still advocate drilling if for no other reason than to supplement our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The Left expects that an entire energy paradigm shift can occur overnight. Simply, for example, converting immediately to electric vehicles guarantees the entire tanking of our national electric grid, due to undercapacity and no new electrical generation stations having been built. That too, just like drilling in ANWR, would take that proverbial “minimum of ten years” — but that’s only if The Religious Left don’t interfere in environmental terms.
BZ
aw come on now BZ, those caribou were obviously protesting in front of that rig, you removed all their placards and funny hats with photoshop, didn’t you?
Mark, I admit it, you’ve caught me. They’re just latex and resin caribou. Sorry.
BZ
What really gets me about those that say ‘we wouldn’t drill in the Grand Canyon!’ is that the Orphan Coppermine served as a source of uranium up to 1950.
It is in the Grand Canyon.
Ruined the place totally, huh?
LMAO Mark (first comment)
The real reason we can’t drill anywhere but over there is the libs, the real reason we are paying almost 5 bucks a gallon is the libs, the media and the university professors will continue to make everyone believe it’s the war in Iraq or the WOT… I submit it is the LIBS fault there too…Had Clinton done his job rather than the intern, the Muzzies might have had too much rebuilding to do than mess with us on 9-11.
In reference to Bushwhack’s comment “Had Clinton done his job rather than the intern…” LOL! Exactly!
Thanks for the pictures, BZ. If it weren’t for the airplane, the oil rig and the wildlife I would think I was looking at pictures of the moon. It’s really barren and bleak, isn’t it? I’ve seen a couple of pictures of it before, and I don’t understand why anyone – not even common-sense impaired liberals, would object to our drilling there. This entire thing smells rotten! I think they want this country to go bust.
So what are we waiting for? Another 10 years of inaction to pass by? Only to say, “…but it’ll take 10 years before we get any results….”
Dang BZ; there you go using common sense and logic again…Can’t have that! Those clowns in DC that keep shooting down any attempts at harvesting our own natural resources have no use for logic or common sense.
Talking about interference in environmental terms…
That type of irony is going to bite all of us in the ass.
Henry: you need an EIR to decide the value of an EIR to allegedly save the environment.
BZ
I kind of like the idea of conserving, alternative sources AND domestic production. Sadly the left hates civilization so much that they need us to go back to the Dark Ages in everything but religion.
“in everything but religion”
Actually they want us to worship trees, berries, dirt, roots and rodents.
The crude in that pipeline contains upwards of 500ppb H2S. That bear better watch out. That might be enough to hurt his nose as much as a fresh salmon.