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“We believe the industry has clearly demonstrated around the world its ability to explore and to develop in a safe and sound manner, and we would hope that the US would want to know whether there is anything in ANWR or not."
- CEO Rex Tillerson, Aug. 2006 
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the crown jewel of America's National Wildlife Refuge System. Often called the "American Serengeti," the Wildlife Refuge is the most important onshore denning habitat for America's vanishing polar bears. It is also home to caribou, muskoxen, arctic foxes, wolverines, grizzlies, snow geese, and millions of migratory birds, all of which depend on this fragile, unique ecosystem for survival.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is constantly under assault by Arctic Power – the single-issue lobby group dedicated to opening up the Arctic Refuge for oil drilling. In 1992, the four major oil corporations operating on Alaska's North Slope - BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco - joined together with the state of Alaska to create Arctic Power to lobby the federal government to open up the Refuge to drilling - a move that would not result in lower gas prices or greater energy security. In the last few years, all of the major oil companies except ExxonMobil dropped out of Arctic Power.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA) it would take 10 years before Arctic Refuge oil could first be produced. Even after twenty years down the road, when Arctic Refuge oil is at or near peak production, gas prices would be affected by about a penny per gallon.
ExxonMobil insists that it could exploit the Arctic Refuge without damaging the region's ecosystem. The same promises were made about drilling in Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The industrialization of portions of the Kenai Refuge for oil development has fragmented and degraded bird and wildlife habitats. Oil development has included nearly 200 wells within three oil fields that total 30 square miles; 46 miles of oil and gas feeder pipelines outside of designated oil and gas fields; a 3,500 foot airstrip; 44 miles of roads; more than 60 individual well pads; two solid waste disposal sites; two active gravel pits; and various support facilities. Over the past 40 years, more than 270,000 gallons of oil and other contaminants have been released in the Kenai Refuge from the more than 350 spills, explosions and other contamination events caused by oil and gas activities.
Oil drilling is a dirty business that has no place in a pristine wilderness area like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Click here to get all the facts.
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