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HOMELAND DEFENDER - ALASKAN OIL

Three for the price of one is a deal hard to come by these days. However, the responsible development of oil and gas reserves in Alaska's northeast coastal plain (ANWR) provides just that.

Three areas that would greatly benefit from such development include the environment, national security and the economy.

The dots connecting our nation's foreign policies, its dependency on foreign markets for over half of our oil needs and the current campaign to defeat terrorism are not that hard to see. Unless, of course, you are blinded by the unreasonableness of an extreme environmental agenda. Then you don't care who or what pays any price as long as you get what you want.

Keeping oil flowing from the Middle East is a necessary fact of life for this nation. Currently we are 56 percent dependent on foreign oil, most of it coming from that region.

Environmental benefits would include far fewer foreign super tankers plying America's coastline and docking facilities if oil from ANWR was produced. If we continue the increase in foreign oil dependency, it is estimated that more then 30 giant supertankers, each holding 500,000 barrels of crude, will have to dock at U.S. ports every day. More than 10,000 ships, mostly flying foreign flags will travel along our coastline and use our docking facilities. Many of these tankers do not have the better safety designs, controls and regulations of the American tankers.

Newer drilling technologies will allow for fewer wells, and smaller drilling pads, which are now 70% smaller then those built 20 years ago. Underground pipelines will reduce surface disturbances and the use of ice roads will eliminate the need for gravel roads.

It should be noted, however, that even without these advances, the area of Prudhoe Bay, developed 27 years ago and still producing, to the west of ANWR has seen an increase in the number of caribou. One herd has grown from 6000 to 19,700 and uses the Kuparuk oil field as its calving and nursing location. Migratory bird nesting populations (Brant, Snow Geese, Spectacled Eiders) have increased in the Prudhoe Bay area. How bad can this neighborhood be?

Polar bears have had an exceedingly healthy population over these past 20 years. Of the 2000 estimated polar bears in Alaska, 90% of them den in off shore pack ice. The area under consideration for oil and gas development would be on shore and would not affect this population.

Revenues generated from oil and gas production in ANWR will find their way into wildlife and cultural preservation efforts. This is another benefit that foreign dependency does not have.

National security will benefit by reducing our dependency on unstable and volatile regions. The less we depend on foreign oil, the less responsive we must be to the changing political climates within other nations. We have less need to be immediately involved in their sovereign issues just to keep the oil flowing.

Our nation is expending enormous amounts of money, attention and resources to face and defeat the threat of terrorism at home and elsewhere.
It is hard for a nation to move forward, when most of its efforts are directed at maintaining the status quo we call the American lifestyle. That's code for maintaining freedom.

Economic benefits of oil and gas production in ANWR would be nationwide. The Wharton Econometrics Forcasting Association has estimated that ANWR could generate 735,000 jobs in ALL states. These conservative 1980 figures show for example that states such as Pennsylvania would garner 34,300 jobs, Wyoming 3000, Wisconsin 80,000 and North Carolina 19,300.

Based on the economic figures we have on Prudhoe Bay and what it has done for the nation, Wharton estimates that ANWR would raise our GNP by $50.4 BILLION.

ANWR's potential surpasses even that of the North Slope production which we've had since 1979. That production has saved the country $192 BILLION in buying other peoples' oil, and has contributed more then $300 BILLION dollars to our economy----------on the conservative side!

Now when you take the time to connect the dots of a project that would reduce environmental risks, benefit wildlife and habitat, help to keep our citizens and natural resources out of harm's way, produce wealth, and challenging and productive jobs a winning picture comes into view.

Maybe it's a picture titled ANWR----America's Natural Winning Reserve.

~ America's Voices - October 22, 2001

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