Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

High gas prices have enraged many Americans for the past years. The government tells Americans that this is due to the decreasing amounts of available oil. The government projects that drilling for more oil will decrease gas prices and make Americans happier. One of the proposed areas is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "The 19.2-million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge supports the greatest variety of plant and animal life of any Park or Refuge in the circumpolar arctic," (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). This is one of the last places that is totally undisturbed by humans and there are proposed oil drilling plans that are being fought to this day.

The government fills our heads with false references to the facts about oil drilling and gas prices. The more drilling proposed by the government gives more money to Big oil which does nothing to lower gas prices because these people are very money hungry. These false inferences must be made aware to the citizens of the United States in order to educate them on the right decisions to make regarding policy issues such as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The right decision of course is to the keep the refuge untouched by human innovations and protect the wonderful creatures that call the refuge their home.

Oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could have many affects on wildlife, vegetation, and the overall ecosystem that we have tried so hard to protect. After weighing the costs and benefits of drilling in ANWR the costs definitely outweigh the benefits. In my opinion there are no benefits to altering and possibly destroying our last undisturbed wilderness in the United States. There are ,however, many costs involved with drilling for oil in ANWR. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has comprised a website that proposed the potential impacts of drilling in the refuge.

One of the main impacts on wildlife that has been captured by the media is the possible affects on the polar bear. The polar bear is endangered due to the alterations of their habitat by oil drilling. Their habitat would be needed to support human habitats that are very unsustainable such as gas for cars, heating homes, etc. The ANWR area in which the drilling would occur is one of the most fragile habitats for the polar bears and what their survival ultimately depends on. According to a scientist involved with saving the polar bears, "One of the population centers considered under the 'greatest' threat is the Chukchi Sea habitat, according to the study," (drilling plans). The extinction or survival of polar bears depends on the plans for drilling in ANWR. As Americans we must get our priorities straight by watching out for other species besides our own.

Another issue that should be argued when it comes to the proposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the actual amount of oil that will be beneficial to Americans. The amount of oil that can be found in the refuge is only estimated. The only way to find out the actual amount of oil that Americans will benefit from is to do exploratory drilling. Therefore, drilling in ANWR and destroying habitats and ultimately altering the last untouched wilderness is being proposed because there is thought to be oil along the coast of the refuge. In my opinion this is a ridiculous conclusion based on the past experiences of drilling in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. Insufficient evidence and major alteration of an ecosystem do not justify the greediness of Big Oil to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.