Essay --

Oil is one of the largest components of the American economy. However through the last thirty years America has had to overcome many obstacles in order to secure a steady flow of oil from foreign countries. Since the early 1970s many political leaders have encouraged drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to solve America’s problem of securing foreign oil. The people in favor of letting companies drill in the ANWR argue that it would reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, and not effect the environment. People against oil drilling in the ANWR state that the drilling would do nothing to change America’s dependence on Foreign oil, and will have detrimental effects on one of the world’s largest untouched nature-preserves. In order to secure and stabilize both the Environment and America’s oil supply, America will need to assign a small section of the ANWR for oil drilling, that would not effect the natural ecosystems. One near-sighted proposal to help reduce America’s foreign dependence for oil has been to drill for oil in the ANWR. Currently the United States imports around 60 percent of the oil that its citizens consumes annually and around 20 percent of this oil comes from the Persian Gulf countries, averaging about 2.4 million barrels a day are being imported to the United States (Corsi 11). Each barrel of oil costs around 50$, meaning the United States sends more than 600$ million a day to foreign countries, of which 120$ million goes to the Persian Gulf. Annually the United States spends just under a quarter of a trillion dollars to buy oil. These numbers show that the United States is very dependent on oil from foreign countries, and has had to intervene in foreign entanglements because of it, such a... ...structures (which was not the case in Prudhoe Bay,) there would be other suitable calving areas. The oil fields operated ANWR would also help make the United States less dependent on foreign oil. Although the United States will most likely never be completely independent of oil, the Oil drilled in the ANWR would save the United States millions of dollars a year, from paying foreign countries to sell us oil. If we have a steady domestic oil supply, the United States will not have to focus so much of its attention on foreign issues that are not related to us. Keeping the environment pristine, and having a secure line of oil are big concerns of the United States government. By assigning a small section of the ANWR for oil drilling and setting restrictions on oil infrastructures during calving season would let America succeed in both the economy and the environment.