Environmentally responsible energy production in a
sliver of Alaska's vast Coastal Plain will reduce America's
dependence on unreliable foreign sources of oil by providing America
with a homegrown, secure and stable supply of energy. It will create
new jobs for Americans here in America. Environmentally responsible
energy production is supported by labor unions, farm groups and
others in a bipartisan coalition that includes Alaskan Eskimos who
live in the area proposed for energy production.
According to legislation most recently passed by the U.S. House
of Representatives, no more than 2,000 acres out of the
19-million-acre refuge will be utilized for energy production.
Likewise, in order to ensure that energy production does not have
any significant adverse impact on the environment, the best
environmental technology and American ingenuity will be required for
exploration and development. Exploration will be limited to the
winter months between November and May to protect wildlife. Ice
roads and airstrips will protect the sensitive tundra. In addition,
strict rules will be mandated to protect streams, rivers, springs,
and wetlands.
ANWR represents America's single greatest onshore prospect for
oil. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that ANWR contains a mean
expected value of 10.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable
oil. At peak production, ANWR could produce more oil than any U.S.
state, including Texas and Louisiana.
In 1980, President Carter and Congress set aside 1.5 million
acres of ANWR's Northern Coastal Plain for potential oil
development. This area is often called the "1002 Area" because
it was set aside in Section 1002 of the law. The U.S. House of
Representatives has endorsed the environmentally-responsible
development of ANWR twice in the past four years. 
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