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Tucker Van Lier RibbinkASEM: Environmental
ControversiesProfessor Christina Foust
THE ANWR CONTROVERSY
25VOLUME 4
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a biodiverse, 19.6
million acre area of pristine, federally owned and protected land
in North-east Alaska. The area consists of lowland tundra, coastal
marshes, freshwater wetlands, moun-tains, rivers, lakes, and
valleys. It is home to 45 species of land and marine mammals, 36
species of fish, and 180 species of birds (US Fish and
Wildlife Service).
It also happens to be home to an estimated 7.7 billion barrels
of oil that is technically recov-erable, according to a study
conducted by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1998, making
the area a hot button issue for political and en-vironmental
debate. The 7.7 billion barrels of oil reside in a 1.5 million acre
coastal plain known as the 1002 area. Opponents to drilling in
the
area suggest that drilling would devastate the coastal plains
extraordinary environment and fragile ecosystem. Drilling advocates
argue that opening the area to development would reduce
gas prices, ensure energy independence, sus-tain the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline (and, in effect, the Alaskan economy), and
significantly bene-fit the US economy, all while having little to
no
adverse effect on the areas environment. Based on my research of
the various arguments for and against drilling in ANWR, I have come
to the conclusion that the 1002 area should be opened
for further research and exploration.The 1002 area got its name
from the Alas-
ka National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980, as
Section 1002 of the act
deferred a decision on the management of the coastal plain due
to the vast oil and gas reserves the area potentially held. Section
1002 of the
ANILCA reads as follows:The purpose of this section is to
provide for a comprehensive and continuing invento-ry and
assessment of the fish and wildlife
resources of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge; an analysis of the
This argumentative research paper discusses the contested site
of Alaskas Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)its pristine and striking landscapes, its
rare and fragile ecosystem,
and the billions of barrels of oil and natural gas that reside
beneath its surface. To drill, or not
to drill: that is always the question. ANWR and its oil reserves
have been a source of intense
political controversy since it was first signed into law in
1980. When I initially chose to write
about ANWR, I thought I already knew everything I needed.
Drilling in ANWR had been in the
foreground of the 2008 presidential election, and news channels
aired many live broadcast
debates on the subject. It wasnt until I conducted my own
research that I realized the news
media are not always reliable sources of information.
My hope in this essay is to shed some light on the current state
of the ANWR controversy and
to encourage readers to research political issues deeply before
drawing conclusions.
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(left) Tucker Van Lier Ribbink /photo provided by author
(right) Mike Clime / Shutterstock.com
26 WRIT LARGE: 2015
impacts of oil and gas exploration devel-opment, and production,
and to authorize exploratory activity within the coastal plain in a
manner that avoids significant adverse
effects on the fish and wildlife and other re-sources.
(Sullivan)
So while Congress does have an obligation to pro-tect the
regions habitat, it also has an obligation to authorize exploratory
activity for the prospect of oil and gas development.
Those who oppose drilling argue that Con-gress met such
obligations with the USGS as-sessment of 1998. Recent advances in
explor-atory and drilling technologies, however, make the 1998
estimates irrelevant. As indicated in the
State of Alaskas 2013 Exploration Plan and Spe-cial Use Permit
Application, advances in tech-nology, including todays high-power
comput-er hardware, cutting edge interpretive software [and] the
3-D imaging technologywill provide
Tucker was born and raised in Kaneohe,
Hawaii, where he grew up surfing, hiking,
paddling, kayaking, and sailing. Without
ever having owned a jacket or pair of jeans, he somehow decided
snowy Col-orado would be a great place for him to pursue his
college career. While at DU,
he was active with the kayaking club.
Tucker graduated from the University of
Denver in the fall of 2014 with a degree
in marketing, and he has recently moved
to Seattle, where he now needs to find a
good rain jacket.
a vastly improved understanding of the 1002 Ar-eas geology and
oil and gas resource potential (Parnell and Sullivan 17-18). 3-D
seismic data are
said to be vastly superior to the 2-D seismic
data that were recorded in the mid-1980s. Those
30-year-old data were used in the USGSs 1998
assessment and happen to be the most recent data we have from
the region. The assessment concluded that the area contains an
estimated 7.7 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil. A
similar study of Prudhoe Bay (located 600 miles
west of Section 1002) estimated the Prudhoe
field to hold 9.6 billion barrels of technically re-coverable
oil. The field has now yielded over 12
billion barrels of oil and is estimated to contain 6 billion
more barrels (Parnell and Sullivan 110).
My point is not to say that the 1002 area holds
more oil than originally estimatedfor all we know, the amount of
technically recoverable oil is considerably less than the USGS
survey conclud-ed. My point is that until we have a more accurate
understanding of how much oil and gas there ac-tually is in the
1002 area, there is very little value
in continued debate regarding the areas future. To ensure
minimal and negligible adverse
effects to the tundra, fish, and other wildlife
during exploration, the state of Alaska is seek-ing to conduct
its study only during the winter months when wildlife is scarce.
Ice pads and ice roads used for drilling and transportation in the
winter would then melt in the spring, having lit-tle or no impact
on the environment. This, along with Alaskas high environmental
standards and advanced low-impact technologies, promises an
effective and safe exploration of Area 1002.
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27VOLUME 4
Environmentalist groups, including Defend-ers of Wildlife,
protest that any impact is too much impact for an area so pristine
and beauti-ful. The area has been portrayed as having a lush,
mountainous landscape, complete with fields of
flowers, clean springs, and gently flowing rivers.
This is certainly true for parts of the 19.6 million acre land
of ANWR. However, in the 1002 area
where drilling is being proposed, there are no mountains and no
trees, just a flat frozen tundra
(Fallin). The blatant use of false imagery and de-scription for
political gain is deceptive, unethi-cal, and somewhat
condescending. To appreciate the area for its unique and untouched
character-istics is one thing, but to claim it as something it is
not is another. Not only does this gimmick engender distrust of
future anti-drilling rhetoric, but it also highlights the coastal
plains aesthetic as a major focus in the debate, which is certainly
not one of the areas strengths.
In discussing environmental effects of oil de-velopment, both
sides of the debate focus heav-ily on the Porcupine Caribou Herd,
which uses the 1002 area as their main calving ground. The
most recent photocensus of the Porcupine Car-ibou Herd has
estimated the herds population at 197,000 caribou, up 28,000
caribou since the
last estimate conducted in 2010 (Rogers). The
herd spends two months of its 930-mile yearly
migration in Section 1002 because it is nutrient
rich and offers relief from mosquitoes and other insects that
harass the herd.
Drilling opponents fear that oil development in the coastal
plain would displace the herd, forcing them out of their preferred
habitat and
into areas with more predators and less nutrition. However,
sizeable increases in the Central Arc-tic Caribou Herd would
suggest otherwise. This herd has flourished despite (or possibly
due to)
the introduction of a vast network of oil devel-opment
infrastructure, roads, and facilities in the herds primary calving
ground of Prudhoe Bay, located 600 miles east of the 1002 area.
In 1975, years before oil production began, the Central Arctic
Caribou Herd totaled less than 5,000. By 2002, the herd had grown
to 45,000. Six
years after that, the herd size increased to 67,000
(Co-existing). Since the 1002 area is one-fifth
the size of Prudhoe Bay, and the Porcupine Car-ibou Herd is much
larger than the Central Arctic Herd, some argue that the Porcupine
Caribou Herd is more vulnerable as suitable alternative habitats
might not be available ( Jacobs). How-ever, in the past fifteen
years of investigations,
Jeff McGraw / Shutterstock.com
A future without the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System has
frightening implications for the US economy and terrifying
implications for Alaska and its citizens.
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28 WRIT LARGE: 2015
the US Fish and Wildlife Service has found that
the herd roams over a vast expanse and that the caribou have
historically calved over a fairly large area of the North Slope and
the Yukon Ter-ritory (Urquhuart, qtd. in Jacobs).
While certain studies suggest that oil facil-ities and
structures in Prudhoe Bay have dis-placed some Central Arctic
Caribou, recent ae-rial studies show otherwise, with many caribou
on and around surface structures, walking un-der pipelines with
ease during summer migra-tion ( Jacobs). In The Natural History of
an Arctic Oil Field, the researchers note that while earlier
radio-collar studies suggested a tendency to avoid oil-field
facilities, more frequent aerial sur-veys indicate that the caribou
distribution on the larger scale was largely unrelated to the
dis-tribution of oil-field infrastructure (Truett and
Johnson 99). Furthermore, other studies have concluded
that the caribou actually seek out gravel pads and oil field
structures in order to escape insect
harassment and take sanctuary in the structures shade and cooler
environments. One scientist
remarked that even when disturbed by moving vehicles, caribou
most commonly just move to another location on the pad rather than
leaving the pad (Lynn, qtd. in Jacobs). The authors con-cluded
that, with clear identification of manage-ment objectives and
common-sense applications of mitigation measures, caribou can
coexist with oil fields (Truett and Johnson 101).
Lastly, in their most recent assessment, the USGS and the US
Fish and Wildlife Service have
declared that, based on the most likely ANWR
development scenarios, there is a 95% degree of certainty that
there is a nearly negligible impact on calf survival (Policy Area:
ANWR). While the negative impact of drilling would be nearly
negligible, its positive impacts on Alaskas econ-omy would be
staggering.
The state of Alaska has always been a ma-jor source of oil
production within the United
States. At its peak of 2.2 million barrels per day,
Alaska provided about 25 percent of the nations
domestic crude oil production (Magill). That oil was transported
through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), which travels 800
miles
down the oil fields of the North Slope to Val-dez on Alaskas
southern coast. Unfortunately,
the flow of oil through the pipeline has been di-minishing at an
alarming rate of 5 percent per year (Parnell and Sullivan 117).
Decreases in oil
lead to decreases in velocity, which then lead to decreases in
temperature, which finally lead to
increases in wax, bacteria, and ice buildup. This buildup erodes
the pipe and constricts the flow
of oil, which then increases costs, making it less and less
economical for oil companies like BP to continue supplying domestic
oil from Alaska. According to ANWR.org, America will lose the
possibility to supply 10% of its current daily con-sumption of oil.
At its current rate of depletion, some studies predict the end of
TAPS as early as
2032, while others predict it may last until 2065.
A future without the TAPS has frightening im-plications for the
US economy and terrifying im-plications for Alaska and its
citizens.
According to the Alaska Oil and Gas Asso-ciation (AOGA), the
petroleum industry sup-
Jonathan Nafzger / Shutterstock.com
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29VOLUME 4
ports one-third of all Alaska jobs, generating 110,000 jobs
throughout the state. Despite de-creases in production, the oil and
gas industry still provides 90 percent of the states revenue.
Should the TAPS shut down, much of this rev-enue will disappear,
taking with it the jobs and livelihoods of many Alaskan citizens.
Not only would oil in ANWR sustain the pipeline and these
livelihoods, it would also generate from about 20,000 to over
170,000 jobsaccording
to analyses based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(Parnell and Sullivan 193). At
the most optimistic estimates, drilling in ANWR would maintain
110,000 existing jobs and pro-vide 170,000 new jobs.
Assuming the USGS mean estimate from its
1998 study, the amount of recoverable oil would
have a production period of nearly 40 years
(Parnell and Sullivan 203). While hydraulic frac-turing and
other advances in oil production have recently enabled the US to
produce more than it
imports for the first time in nearly 20 years, we
still import 40 percent of the petroleum we con-sume as of 2012
(How Much). Assuming the
mean estimate for technically recoverable oil is 10.4 billion
barrels, the 1002 area could produce
one million barrels per day, which would make Area 1002 the
single largest producing field in
North America. In fact, the oil production po-tential of the
1002 area is about equal to the pro-duction of 41 states combined
(Policy Area). At one million barrels of oil per day, ANWR drilling
would provide the US with 20 percent of its daily
domestic production. While drilling in ANWR would only produce
an estimated 3 percent of Americans daily consumption, the area is
be-lieved to hold the greatest potential for onshore crude oil in
America (Freudenrich). With US
debt approaching $18 trillion, its important that
we not close ourselves off from natural resourc-es. After all,
each barrel produced domestically is a barrel not purchased with
foreign money.
The controversy of opening or closing ANWR to drilling is
somewhat useless since the most current research was gathered using
2D seismic technology as opposed to the vast-ly superior 3-D tech.
Until we have a better un-derstanding of the resources that reside
in Area 1002, we can expect little progress toward a fair
and educated decision. That being said, should exploration
reveal oil reserves greater than in the 1998 USGS assessment, I do
believe that we can
and should drill the area in an effective yet en-vironmentally
safe manner. Prudhoe Bay serves as evidence that we are capable of
drilling for oil with a minimal and negligible impact on the
environment. Since Prudhoe Bay development
began, exploration and drilling technologies and methods
including ice roads, ice pads, and horizontal drilling have
advanced to a stage that would have even less impact on the
environment and, more specifically, on the Porcupine Caribou
Herd. With the TAPSs unknown future and the
US still recovering from a devastating economic
crisis, it is imperative that we keep our energy options
open.
archigraf / Shutterstock.com
I believe that we can and should drill the
area in an effective yet environmentally
safe manner. Prudhoe Bay serves as
evidence that we are capable of drilling
for oil with a minimal and negligible
impact on the environment.
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30 WRIT LARGE: 2015
WORKS CITED
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14 May 2014.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1002 Area, Petroleum
Assessment, 1998, Including Economic Analysis. US
Geological Survey. Web. 17 May 2014.
Co-existing with Oil Development, Central Arctic Caribou Herd
Thrives, Population at Record High. Resource
Development. Resource Development Council for Alaska, Inc. n.d.
Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Facts and Figures. AOGA: Alaska Oil and Gas Association. Alaska
Oil and Gas Association. 2014. Web. 18 Nov.
2014.
Fallin, Mary. ANWRs Place in Our Energy Picture. Townhall.com.
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Freudenrich, Craig. How ANWR Works. How Stuff Works. InfoSpace.
19 Nov. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
How Much Petroleum Does the United States Import and From Where?
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2014.
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Rogers, Jillian. Porcupine Caribou Population Peaks at 197,000.
The Arctic Sounder. Alaska Media. 28 Mar. 2014.
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for the ANWR 1002 Area. Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
State of Alaska. n.d. Web. 18 May 2014.
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Lavinia Bordea / Shutterstock.com