[Mb-civic] The Truth (behind the lies) about the Arctic Refuge & Oil Drilling

Tue Apr 26 18:26:55 PDT 2005

This short overview neatly clarifies matters.  Great to forward to folks who 
might not be clear or might be mis-informed.  Action alert is at end.

http://www.bushgreenwatch.org
***************************************

April 26, 2005

Administration Misleads on Alaska Drilling Claims 

As the Bush Administration re-launches its energy plan, another
attempt to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
(ANWR) is underway. The recent narrow passage in the Senate, and
an energy bill in the House, makes it all the more important to
know exactly what is at stake as the ANWR battle proceeds. 

The administration and its pro-drilling allies repeatedly make
claims that range from dubious to downright inaccurate. The
following is worth noting: 

· Arctic drilling will not reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil
Proponents say that drilling in ANWR will reduce America's
dependence on imported oil (a dependence that costs taxpayers
billions of dollars to station our military in oil-rich regions
such as the Middle East). But the earliest any ANWR oil would
reach the lower 48 states would be 10 years, and probably
longer, thereby having no impact on America's current problem. 

Even 20 years from now, when ANWR is expected to reach peak
production, it will only supply about 3 percent of U.S. oil
consumption at best. 

-Energy independence can be achieved through improved energy
efficiency
An increase in automobile fuel efficiency standards of 3 miles
per gallon would save more than 1 million barrels a day. If U.S.
standards for replacement tires were upgraded to those for new
cars, it would save 7 billion barrels -- same as the most
optimistic estimate for ANWR oil. [1] 

-Arctic drilling will not reduce oil prices
Even at peak production, the output of oil from the refuge would
be too small to affect prices. The U.S. Department of Energy's
Energy Information Administration released a report last year
stating that, "Assuming that world oil markets continue to work
as they do today, the Organizations of Petroleum Exporting
Countries could countermand any potential price impact of ANWR."
[2] 

According to the U.S. Geological Survey there are 3.2 billion
barrels of economically recoverable oil in the coastal plain.
This means that opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling would only
increase global oil reserves by less than seven-tenths of one
percent, meaning essentially no effect on world oil production
and prices. [3] 

-Not all ANWR oil is economically viable
Over 7 billion barrels of oil are technically recoverable (if
money is not an issue) in the wildlife refuge. The amount that
is economically viable is much lower. Another cost problem is
transportation of crude oil to the lower 48 states. Western
refineries will be at capacity when drilling commences in the
refuge. The majority of other refineries are in Texas, meaning
the oil would have to be shipped from Alaska down through the
Panama Canal back up to Texas. Some experts suggest that this
makes the oil more likely to be sold to Asia rather than the
U.S. [4] 

-Investment in renewable energy will provide more jobs
Studies by the Bureau of Labor statistics and the Congressional
Research Service predict that 60,000 to 130,000 jobs would be
created if the Refuge were opened for drilling. But the Tellus
Institute recently reported that investment in renewable energy
and improved energy efficiency would create 700,000 jobs by
2010, and 1.3 million by 2020. A World Wildlife study "America's
Global Warming Solutions," states that if the proper energy
policies were implemented, 900,000 jobs could be created over a
12-year period. [5]

-Environmental impact far greater than administration claims
The Bush Administration claims that new advances in technology
will minimize the ecological impact of drilling, causing only a
2,000-acre "footprint." 

The "footprint" includes buildings, pipelines and other related
facilities-- but only where they touch ground. In fact,
pipelines will cover hundreds of miles of the Refuge, and only
their support posts are counted toward the 2,000-acre total.
Gravel mines and roads were not counted. 

And then, notes Jim Waltman of the Wilderness Society, there
will be airstrips, housing, pumping stations, power plants,
power lines, sewage treatment, and waste disposal needed to
service the work crews. 

The 2,000-acre "footprint" also overlooks seismic or other
exploration activities, which degrade the arctic environment,
with 64,000-pound exploratory rigs. [6] They can only travel on
ice roads, whose longevity has already been reduced by half due
to global warming. [7] 

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that oil and gas deposits are
spread throughout the wildlife refuge coastal plain in small
pools and pockets, leaving the entire 1.5 million acre area open
to leasing and exploration -- not just a confined space of
2,000-acres. [8] 

All of this, of course, poses an unpredictable threat to the
herd of 120,00 porcupine caribout who migrate, forage for food,
and calve in the area. 

### 

TAKE ACTION
To take action on this issue please visit www.savethearctic.com
and send an e-mail to your member of Congress. 

### 

SOURCES: 
[1] "Wasted Energy," New Yorker, Apr. 18, 2005,
http://ga3.org/ct/711g7oM1yXx_/.
[2] "Arctic Drilling Is No Energy Answer," Los Angeles Times,
Apr. 3, 2005.
[3] SaveTheArctic.com, http://ga3.org/ct/Id1g7oM1yXxz/. 
[4] "Where Would ANWR Oil Go?" Seattle Times, Apr. 19, 2005,
http://ga3.org/ct/I71g7oM1yXxS/. 
[5] America's Global Warming Solution, Tellus Institute,
http://ga3.org/ct/771g7oM1yXxM/. 
[6] SaveTheArctic.com op. cit.
[7] Bushwatch.org map, http://ga3.org/ct/W71g7oM1yXx1/. 
[8] Wilderness Society fact sheet,
http://ga3.org/ct/7p1g7oM1yXxN/. 

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"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
   ---   George Orwell

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