Alaska national wildlife refugee is an incredible place pristine and undisturbed. Its support caribou, polar beers and countless number of species that includes birds and fish as well as Alaskan native communities. However this place is very Fragile and we, as American citizens should not let such thing happen. Drilling for oil in the Artic is just going harm the environment. In addition, there isn’t going to be any major progress in the economy. Oil and gas drilling seems to be a dirty business. The reason I say this is because people don’t really think about what would happen to the wilderness when oil and gas drilling moves in. The First thing we tend to observe is the disruption of wildlife migration routes and habitats from the noise, pollution, traffic, and fences. Mammal migration is a really important factor for its survival. With all this fencing and infrastructure going on it will ultimately cut off their route at key passages, threatening their survival as a species. In addition, Wild mammals and birds can avoid noises to an extent, but studies show that these behaviors become habituated. This usually impacts the songbird communication in breeding and nesting season. Secondly, the oil spills that occur on both land and offshore drilling sites. Oil operations on land require drilling fluids that are injected into the wellbore to lubricate the drilling bit. These fluids are supposedly to be captured in the line pits for disposal, but most of the time they are
Drilling in Alaska will not help stop the oil crisis. Many colonial Americans weren’t concerned about protecting natural resources because they thought they had a lot but they also knew that they needed to preserve the oil. Should the United States drill for oil in Alaska’s wilderness? America shouldn’t drill in Alaska because of the environment wilderness, protecting environment, and economics.
One of the last of the world’s true wilderness, the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge is “one of the largest sanctuaries for Arctic animals, (where)… it is a vital birthing ground for polar bears, grizzlies, Arctic wolves, caribou, and the endangered shaggy ox” (Document E). By drilling for oil on this land, we would potentially endanger the wildlife and the
Environmentalists are one the biggest critics against the notion of increasing domestic oil drilling. By increasing the amount of drilling we do in the United States, we increase the risk of disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Disasters are hardly the only source of economic damage either, to find oil reserves under the ocean, seismic waves are generated into the ground. These waves bounce off the ground back up to the ship, where computers and scientist can use the results to make educated guesses on whether or not oil is located under the surface. These seismic waves can wreak havoc with marine animals like whales; where in one case over 100 whales beached themselves to get away from the painful experience (Nixon). Using seismic waves does not even guarantee that oil might be located underneath the surface, the only way to tell is to actually drill into the potential finds causing even more destruction for what might be for no gain. Once oil is found and drilling has begun, the amount of damage done to the environment can become unimaginable. The recent example is that of the Deepwater
Oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a very controversial topic. On one end you have the people who want to drill for oil to help out our economy, and on the other end there are the environmentalists and the Alaskan natives who do not want their land destroyed. Our economy needs help; oil prices keep rising, gas prices have reached an all time high, and America is depending too much on foreign trade. Drilling for oil in Alaska will solve these problems. There are ways of drilling without disturbing the environment and keeping the animals in their original habitat.
Offshore drilling has become an essential part of today’s oil production and demand for energy. With the growth of population comes the increasing demand for oil. The oil industry today, is one of the most used providers of energy. Today in the 20th century the majority of the population in America has a car and cars needs gas to run. The oil reserves in the earth that are easily accessible via land are starting to run dry and are becoming harder to find. This is why we have begun to see more and more offshore oil drills. Although there are benefits of offshore drilling such as profit, lower gas prices, and becoming less dependent on foreign oil. There are also many drawbacks in which if something were to go wrong, the mistake would be catastrophic impacting the environment, the nature, and have trickling effects all around the world.
Drilling oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a serious issue for environmentalists and for the future of the United States. Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil drilling? This paper will debate whether or not we should allow Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be opened to oil drilling. This will also show the impact it has on the environment, and I will show a critical analysis of the current issue of whether or not to drill.
Has anyone been to Alaska, or will plan a trip to Alaska? Well it’s a land of cold dark weather that doesn’t appeal to most, but Alaska has been a major topic to the government that affects me and you. The Alaska tundra has been in question to drill oil or to protect the precious environment there. Should the Alaska tundra be opened for oil drilling?
Most individuals may think that drilling and transporting oil on the ANWR will put many animals in danger, when in all reality the animals and their environment will be subjected to little or no danger. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, a great deal of oil drilling experience has already been learned in the Arctic area because of previous drilling done at Prudhoe Bay, which has taught oil companies extensive safety precautions in the drilling and transporting of oil. Prudhoe Bay which is only couple miles from the ANWR and currently Americas largest source of oil is said to rival the amount of oil on the ANWR. Moreover, the ANWR stretches a vast 19 million acres and the only land that is going to be affected by the drilling is a mere 1.9 million acres, called the 1002 area. That is only 2% of the ANWR region. Of the 1.9 million acres only 2000 of those acres will actually be utilized for drilling purposes. Conclusively, this should in no way endanger the animals in this area.
The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is a beautiful 19.6 million acre coastal plain, and is located in the Northeastern part of Alaska. ANWR is home to numerous species of wildlife and one of the largest untapped oil preserves in the United States. There is an immense debate between the opposing environmentalists and the politicians who want to drill for oil on a section of ANWR, which is only 1.8% of the refuge. Environmentalists who oppose drilling for oil in Alaska say the wildlife and the native populations are threatened by drilling for oil in ANWR, even though most of the natives are strongly in favor of drilling. ANWR could save the US from having to import $800 billion worth
The 107th Congress is considering approving energy development in Alaska. Shortages of gasoline, natural gas and the resulting increased prices have opened this debate. The events of September 11,
Alaskan men have a long history of struggling to survive in the wilderness. Today, some, like the Gwich 'in, a native Alaskan tribe, still choose to live off nature. Recently, though a new argument has come to Alaska, one that could destroy the traditions of the Gwich’in forever. Politicians, environmentalists, economists and neighbors now fight over the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the arguments for drilling are worth consideration; however, in comparison to the evidence against it, they are neither convincing nor compelling.
In believe we should not drill in Alaska to satisfy our fuel dependencies. As stated in the documentary “We can import minerals but we cannot import wilderness”, drilling begins a tradeoff; in exchange for minerals we get a damaged ecosystem. Some argue that Alaska has an immense supply of resources that would liberate us from foreign oil, however, there is no guarantee of vast quantities of minerals in Alaska, as the U.S. Department of Energy has stated that there is "considerable uncertainty regarding both the size and quality of the oil resources that exist”. Drilling damages the environment while possibly wielding disappointing results. Even if there is a reservoir of natural resources in Alaska it would not be immediately available
If drilling were to occur, lots of animals would be without a home and eventually the species will become extinct. The US Fish & Wildlife Service states that the ANWR is well-known for the polar, grizzle, and black bear; wolf, Dall sheep, and the symbolic animal of the wildness of the refuge, the caribou. Not only will drilling affect the animals in the environment, it will affect the animals that depend on those of that environment.
Oil Drilling has many effects on the environment from the air we breathe to the oceans that inhabit many species. While one of the outcomes of oil drilling is money, it is forgotten that money won’t help repair all of the damage that is done to mother nature. Not only does the outcome of drilling for fossil fuels affect the oceans, rainforest, etc. it also has an effect on local business’ and the health of humans. If people want change, they need to be the
When the oil and gas companies drill for oil, they also get a byproduct of drilling is natural gas. This gas can be used to generate power and then those power can resell as electricity; but this conversion process requires a lot of investment such as pipelines, power plants, and infrastructure. However some oil Company just sell the oil and burn the gas because it’s cheap compare to extract it, which is called gas flaring. Flaring and venting of natural gas is a wasted resource from an economic viewpoint and also responsible for polluting the environment. Every year, roughly about 140-150 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas is flared into the atmosphere which account for 1% of global carbon emissions gas flaring. Gas flaring is