Oil A Way Again
There are perhaps a few issues that need addressing (or readdressing) in relation to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and as I promised, here they are.Imports
Drilling for oil in the ANWR will not end America’s dependence on Persian Gulf or other oil imports.
As I’ve said before, the potential of oil in the ANWR depends on limited data and numerous assumptions about geology and economics. Geologists estimate that less than a six months supply of oil (roughly 2.0 billion “economically” recoverable barrels) lies beneath the refuge and that it will take at least 15 years before production would be fully on line (as recently estimated in the U.S. Geological Survey).
The Energy Information Agency released a report in March of 2004 based on more generous figures,
"It is expected that the price of ANWR coastal plain production might reduce world oil prices by as much as 30 to 50 cents per barrel... Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the OPEC could countermand any potential price impact of ANWR coastal plain production by reducing its exports by an equal amount."
It doesn’t stand to reason that America will be able to drill their way to energy independence. Energy independence would be best achieved by being more energy efficient and investing in renewable energy and energy efficient technology.
Demand, Supply, and the Reality of Usage
With petroleum prices at record highs and the emergence of China and India as major contributors to global demand, there is a new urgency to political and economic concerns about oil dependence.
It is unfair to assume that the majority of North America does not intend to become more energy efficient. In fact investments in energy efficiency are becoming increasingly valuable as a new “front line” strategy. With the promise of consumers saving money, improvements in personal air quality, and environmental quality the possibility of North American’s embracing energy efficiency has never been so plausible. In fact society is becoming increasingly less tolerant of individuals in opposition to this environmental ‘avant-garde’.
Energy efficiency has already played a significant role. Before the 1970s, America's energy consumption grew in parallel with the nation's GDP. Had that trend continued, current U.S. energy demand would be roughly doubled. Reductions in energy intensity (E/GDP) have resulted from a combination of energy efficiency investments, structural shifts away from energy-intensive manufacturing toward a service and information-based economy, and the pressures brought by historic increases in the cost of energy.
The Free Market
For those mentioning the free-market, it is an idealized abstraction which dosen’t neccesarily consider externalities. It is no more “always right” than it is “always wrong”.
Land Publicly Protected
Debates about government owned land versus privately owned land are certainly valid and important; however they aren’t entirely relevant in discussing or debating drilling in the ANWR. We could however discuss the government’s responsibility to the land and if it includes conservation and maintenance.
There have been some contradictory statements with regards to the publicly-owned land within the ANWR. Suggesting that developmental “footprints” on such a vast amount of land are rarely detrimental and yet “environmental alarmists” chose not to get worked up about them as well.
Prudhoe Bay
The lessons of Prudhoe Bay are informative and relevant. Arguments for drilling in ANWR are largely abstract intellectual concepts until we are able to compare them to similar experiences which deepest values lay in unconsidered externalities.
Unfortunately while researching Prudhoe Bay’s drilling in the North Slope I continually found conflicting information and varying “facts” about its environmental impact (from both environmental and business related sources). I will continue to unravel the truth about Prudhoe Bay and will hopefully emerge triumphantly with some substantiated facts.
John Carlisle
John Carlisle uses a considerable amount of informal fallacies in his “reasoning” for drilling in ANWR. Although I suppose we’re all guilty of that from time to time.
In fact... the same basis sometimes used to undermine the work of Dr. David Suzuki in regards to Global Warming could be applied to John Carlisle and his comments on Environmental effects.
He’s a physics scientist.
Additional
These are just a few interesting tidbits:
• Oil and gas firms have donated $1,761,567 to George Bush’s presidential campaign, making the oil and gas industry one of Bush’s top 10 contributors in Election 2000.
• “The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would have oil and gas drilling added to the budget legislation, to be acted on in September, if drilling advocates have their way, but two dozen House Representatives have asked Speaker Hastert and several committee chairmen not to use a congressional budget procedure to promote it, saying it "is an inappropriate venue..." Most Democrats oppose development and environmentalists are also working to prevent it.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (FDNM), August 9, 2005, p. A1, A8.
• "As a result of [the previous ANWR] post, I have personally written and sent a lengthy submission to Frank McKenna calling on him to stay out of the affairs of the U.S. on this issue." –Liam O’Brien
This is the only known “action” I have provoked as a direct result of blogging. And in a moment of utter horror I came dangerously close to deleting my whole bloody blog after reading this comment. However, I realized:
1. Maybe I agree with Liam that perhaps countries should not be involved in the affairs of other countries. The United States in Iraq is a prime example of this.
2. I can write letters too. In fact I have already written to Frank McKenna and I will write to him again (this time though, I think I may possibly seal it with a little caribou sticker, a kiss and all my environmental love).
3. There is no point in being horrified just yet, there is still plenty of time to provoke “positive” action through this medium. (If not, I always have my other medium: art.)
