Three Democrat Senate Candidates Call for Opening ANWR; NCPA's Burnett Says ANWR Could Lessen Dependence on Foreign Oil, Whims of OPEC 7/8/2004
From: Sean Tuffnell of the National Center for Policy Analysis, 800-859-1154 or stuffnell@ncpa.org WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Three Democrat candidates for the U.S. Senate -- Reps. Brad Carson, Chris John and former Alaskan Governor Tony Knowles -- today called for "responsible development of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)." Experts from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) responded to the announcement that this may bode well for energy policy in the next Congress. "While this Congress is unlikely to act on ANWR, their announcement offers some hope for our energy future," said NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett. "Maybe the top of their ticket could learn a lesson from this brave trio." Burnett noted that not only did Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) lead a 2002 filibuster that scuttled any chance of approval of ANWR exploration, but he reveled in his role as an anti-ANWR crusader. One of the chief arguments against opening up ANWR for exploration and production is that it can only provide a 6 month supply, and therefore is not worth disturbing the pristine area. According to Burnett, this charge is extremely misleading. According to estimates from the Energy Information Agency: -- ANWR contains between 6 and 16 billion barrels of oil. By comparison, the U.S. imports approximately 7 million barrels of oil per day. -- If only 6 billion barrels of oil were recovered in ANWR, in a time of emergency the U.S. could cut all imports of foreign oil for two years with little or no effect on the economy. -- ANWR's 6 billion barrels would be sufficient to replace Iraqi oil for 50 years. "ANWR would provide a 6 month supply only if we stopped getting oil from every other source -- no imports, no domestic production, nothing else," said Burnett. "Understood in proper context, ANWR's potential supply is not a drop in the bucket." Burnett also noted that contrary to environmentalists' claims, oil production and environmental quality are not incompatible. For example, caribou herds have expanded in and around Prudhoe Bay and other wildlife have flourished as well, apparently unaffected by the oil and gas development in the area. Further, due to advances is technology, ANWR could fare even better. ------ For more information on this and other energy and environment issues, visit http://eteam.ncpa.org The NCPA is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D. C. that advocates private solutions to public policy problems. NCPA depends on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that share our mission. NCPA accepts no government grants. |