By James L. Lambert (research assistance by Steve Toth)
December 14, 2001

(AgapePress) - As the debate over oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) may be advanced in the U.S. Senate, both sides of the issue are spinning their particular positions on oil development, either pro or con. And while both Republicans and Democrats are mapping their strategies on this issue -- with a floor vote anticipated in February or March -- little has been heard from people inside Alaska on a matter that very much affects their state.

Local Scene
Mark Begich, a former Anchorage Assembly member who proudly declares himself "a lifelong registered Democrat," says "the majority of Alaskans are clearly for the development of ANWR." Begich states that local "polls have ranged from 60%-70% of the public in favor of oil exploration." Congress has already placed eight million acres of the 19-million-acre ANWR park off limits to oil exploration. This does not include another nine million acres which has been officially designated as "refuge status." That composition leaves less than two million acres, located on the coastal plain, set aside to examine for its oil potential.

Jerry Hood, an Alaskan native and spokesman for the Teamsters Union Local #959 in Anchorage, contends that "a USGS study says there is a 95% probability that there is 5.7 billion barrels of oil" submerged in the ANWR coastal plain, with a mean estimate of locating 10.3 billion barrels of oil. Those estimates work out to between 650,000 and 1.9 million barrels a day for approximately 30 years. What is interesting about this data is that 30 years ago, total projections for oil well sites at Prudhoe Bay, another Alaskan oil source, were almost nine billion barrels. To date, 13 billion barrels have been extracted from that region, far exceeding original projections. Besides being an important source of domestic oil, Prudhoe Bay’s development has also been an economic boon for the State of Alaska.

Economically, Hood is equally concerned about his union’s 600,000 truck drivers, and states that "they deserve a reliable source of fuel." Currently, 57% of domestic oil use is imported. U.S. consumption includes 10.5 million imported barrels a day, with total daily consumption around 19.3 million barrels. Altogether, domestic oil production as a percentage of gross consumption has fallen to its lowest level since 1954 -- a problem that has been exacerbated partly by a 14% increase in demand.

Lott, Daschle
"Reliable" seems to be the key word in Hood’s comments. Recent international dynamics have made it clear to many Americans that the nation is too dependent on international oil and gas supplies, and needs a national energy policy. As Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (Rep.-MS) commented in a November 30 news conference: "What scares me the most is, what if the OPEC countries decided, ‘We’re going to cut the [oil] supply dramatically? ... America would be on its knees in 30 days. We cannot have that." Even liberal former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley understands that "the biggest potential upset our country is likely to face in the next few years is a disruption in oil supplies from the Middle East."

With political tensions revolving around the United States' national economic welfare, the debate will continue in the U.S. Senate over the direction of an energy policy that is expected to include ANWR. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Dem.-SD) may be willing to forestall a floor vote on ANWR oil exploration development because of political considerations and a general consensus that most Senate Democrats are willing to side with the environmental proponents against ANWR oil exploration.

Environmental Concerns
Local Alaskan Democrats like Begich desire to protect the environment as well. The difference is that Begich believes that exploration technology has improved to the point where ANWR will not be harmed by most environmental complaints Senate Democrats have raised.

One such complaint centers around caribou herds. Since the mid-1970s when the Prudhoe Bay was first developed, the central arctic caribou herd population has grown from approximately 5,000 to more than 19,000. Other caribou herds around the north region have grown, according to studies, from approximately 180,000 to more than 590,000.

Another complaint revolves around the notion that ANWR is a pristine wilderness. In reality, the coastal plain is a vast, frozen, barren wilderness three-quarters of the year. The coastal plain runs along the Beaufort Sea near the Alaska-Canadian border. A visit to this region by a regular tourist, according to Begich, would cost "over $5,000 to visit from the lower states" because it is completely remote.

The North Slope’s petroleum industry is already highly regulated. It is clear that any future exploration in this area will be performed methodically and with great sensitivity to the environment. It is also anticipated that only a small percentage of the North Slope Coastal Plain (equivalent to 2,000 acres) will be impacted by exploration.

Auto Industry
Robert Kennedy, the son of the late New York senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and President of Waterkeeper Alliance in White Plains, New York, is against the development of ANWR -- but for another reason. He has suggested that by noticeably raising fuel standards for the automobile industry, the country can solve their energy needs without developing national resources like ANWR. Kennedy emphasizes that Congress "should study the issue" and include fuel standards in future energy legislation. In light of the September 11 attacks, perhaps his suggestion to study the issue of auto fuel efficiency standards is reasonable and should be initiated by Congress.

Still, many local residents like native Alaskan Ben Nageak believe that Alaskan coastal plain oil exploration "is no longer seen [locally] as an adversary by my [Inupiat] people." He, like other Alaskans, is convinced that exploration in ANWR could also be helpful to America.

Compromise Necessary?
If America's long-term energy needs are to be addressed through new U.S. oil exploration, a balance may need to be struck between conservationists and those in the automobile and oil industries. Those groups may need to compromise from their historically rigid positions to reverse America's dependency on OPEC and Middle East Oil. It will be interesting to see if these diverse segments of this political debate are willing to do that. U.S. security may rest on their actions.