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U.S. Lawmakers Ignore Melting Icecaps, Vote Again To Drill for Oil in Alaska |
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Written by Staff
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Friday, 26 May 2006 |
Despite the latest scientific data warning of melting Arctic icecaps, the United States House of Representatives have voted yet again to open the North Slope of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
The 225-201 vote marks the sixth time that members of the U.S. lower legislative body have voted in favour of opening part of the wildlife refuge for drilling purposes. The previous five attempts were ultimately blocked by the U.S. Senate and it is expected that this vote will end in the same way.
The latest House vote comes as a direct result of increasingly high gas prices in the U.S. along with an ongoing reliance on foreign oil from nations considered politically unstable. The north slope of the refuge is thought to contain at least 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil in a 1.5 million acre area.
Proponents of drilling in the wildlife refuge point out that the operation could be accomplished in an environmentally friendly manner which would protect flora and fauna in the area. Opponents counter their reasoning citing statistics that show only minimal impact on energy prices taking into consideration that 60% of U.S. usage comes from foreign imports.
Econonics aside, the impact of oil drilling on protected tundra and wildlife within the refuge would be extremely harmful. Scientists have released recent findings which point to increasing degradation of the Arctic including ice caps and permafrost melting at an alarming rate. The Alaska Wildlife refuge is an important breeding ground for 123,000 Porcupine caribous as well as the already threatened polar bear. The Refuge is home to 36 fish species, 36 land mammals, nine marine mammals, and more than 160 migratory and resident bird species.
The Refuge is also ecologically diverse with five different ecological regions: lagoons, beaches and saltmarshes; coastal plain tundra; alpine tundra of the Brooks Range; the forest-tundra transition; and the boreal forest.
The Bush administration has been calling for drilling in the wildlife refuge for years. President Bush has stated that developing a "small section" of the refuge would not only create thousands of jobs but would also significantly reduce America's dependence on foreign oil adding, "Congress needs to look at the science and look at the facts and send me a bill that includes exploration in ANWR for the sake of our country." |
