Posted: 09/24/2003
ANWR Inclusion Good Sign for Energy Future
NCPA’s Burnett Says ANWR Could Lessen Dependence on Foreign Oil, Whims of OPEC
September 24, 2003 – As House and Senate Conferees continue to debate the content and language of the energy bill conference report, it now appears the most hotly contested proposal – allowing oil exploration and production on less the ½ of 1 percent of the Alaskan Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) – will likely be included. According to NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett, this is good news for our nation’s energy future.
“Our nation’s prosperity depends in large part on energy use,” said Burnett. “Oil is not only the dominant source of energy for transportation, it is also a feedstock for plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, lubricants and construction materials.”
One of the chief arguments against opening up ANWR for exploration and production is that it can only provide a 6 month supply, and therefore is not worth disturbing the pristine area. According to Burnett, this charge is extremely misleading. According to estimates from the Energy Information Agency:
- ANWR contains between 6 and 16 billion barrels of oil. By comparison, the U.S. imports approximately 7 million barrels of oil per day.
- If only six billion barrels of oil were recovered in ANWR, in a time of emergency the U.S. could cut all imports of foreign oil for two years with little or no effect on the economy.
- ANWR’s 6 billion barrels would be sufficient to replace Iraqi oil for 50 years or from Saudi Arabia for 30 years.
“ANWR would provide a 6 month supply only if we stopped getting oil from every other source – no imports, no domestic production, nothing else,” said Burnett. “Understood in proper context, ANWR’s potential supply is not small potatoes.”
Burnett also noted that contrary to environmentalists’ claims, oil production and environmental quality are not incompatible. For example, caribou herds have expanded in and around Prudhoe Bay and other wildlife have flourished as well, apparently unaffected by the oil and gas development in the area. Further, due to advances is technology, ANWR could fare even better.