California Whitewater and the Arctic Refuge ARE Related

 

At the very foundation of O.A.R.S. lies the desire to preserve and protect of the earth’s natural resources. With that in mind, I feel compelled to report on recent discussions about our dependence on foreign oil and how that affects the perception of the "need" to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Lifted from an article in today’s SFGate:

“House and Senate Republicans are leading an almost daily drive for legislation to lift the federal moratorium on offshore drilling, increase oil shale development in the Rocky Mountain West and open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, is pushing back by pointing out that oil companies already have leased 68 million acres on and offshore, capable of producing 4.8 million barrels of oil a day, which have not yet been developed. She plans a vote on a bill to bar oil firms from bidding on new leases until they start tapping the acres they already hold.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted last year that if the moratorium were lifted, it would take until 2012 to start leasing the areas and until 2017 before oil began to flow. The agency estimated that U.S. oil production would increase by 7 percent - about 200,000 barrels a day - by 2030, which it said would have an "insignificant" impact on oil prices.

There was a recent article in the NY Times about the current state of oil production in Saudia Arabia. Saudi Arabia is currently pumping 9.45 million barrels a day, which is an increase of about 300,000 barrels from last month. The world’s biggest oil exporter is planning to increase its output next month by about a half-million barrels a day, according to analysts and oil traders who have been briefed by Saudi officials.

Learn the facts. Contact your senator and/or congressperson to let them know your opinion. As a reminder, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is public land owned jointly by all U.S. citizens.

Listed below are links with more information about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“Study: ANWR oil would have little impact”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4542853/

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arctic.asp

Alaska Wilderness League
http://www.alaskawild.org/our-issues/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-campaign

McCain’s View in a recent NY Times article
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/mccain-reiterates-opposition-to-drilling-in-wildlife-refuge/