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77 of the U.S. government’s wildlife refuges had oil and gas drilling activity

Tapping America’s brimming energy reserves would help Obama speed economic recovery



- Andrew P. Morriss CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The United States has substantial unused domestic energy resources, including an estimated 10.4-billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and 86-billion barrels of oil and 420-trillion cubic feet of natural gas in known deposits offshore in U.S. territorial waters.

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Because these areas are off-limits now, the actual amount of oil and gas is likely to be larger than these estimates. Developing these resources would increase reliable domestic oil and gas supplies, lower the cost of energy over time, and provide significant revenue to federal and state governments that own the land under which the resources lie. Critics of developing these domestic energy resources argue that doing so would be environmentally irresponsible. These claims are wrong for two reasons. First, modern oil and gas production technology is environmentally safe. Oil and gas production occurs in a wide range of environmentally sensitive locations without harming the environment. Just ask the Audubon Society, owners of the 26,000 acre Paul J. Rainey Sanctuary. The conservation group allowed oil and gas drilling on its land since the 1950s, even as it opposes drilling in ANWR. Audubon is not alone, the federal. Fish & Wildlife Service reported in 2001 that 77 of the U.S. government’s wildlife refuges had oil and gas drilling activity. It is not only possible to produce oil and gas in an environmentally sensitive way, but both environmental groups and the federal government have already done so. Second, critics argue that the age of oil is over and we need to move to new forms of energy. It’s true that more diverse energy sources would be a good thing but that says nothing about the need to produce more energy from existing sources. As any alternatives to natural gas and oil are at least decades away from being major contributors to U.S. energy needs, new energy sources like biofuels, solar power, or wind energy won’t be powering a significant number of our homes, vehicles, or factories any time soon. In fact, oil and gas together they supply almost two-thirds of the total energy we use and more than 80 percent of industrial energy needs. Petroleum accounts for 96 percent of our transportation fuels. Without a concerted effort to increase domestic production of both these fuels, the United States is likely to face higher prices and less reliable supplies in the future. What accounts for the intense opposition among environmental lobbying groups and the far left to opening these areas for exploration and production? In the case of ANWR, University of Maryland economist Robert Nelson argues that it is not any unique environmental features of the area that drives the opposition. As he points out, “there are in truth many other equally desolate and isolated places that are also important to some group of wild animals.” What makes ANWR “distinctive is that so much oil would potentially be sacrificed.” Similarly, stopping drilling off the California coast was a major symbolic movement of the environmental movement in the 1970s. Symbolism shouldn’t drive public policy. Starting exploration in coastal regions and ANWR won’t affect prices at the pump much next week or even next year. It takes time to drill wells and build the infrastructure necessary to get the oil and gas to market. But doing so now is an important step toward keeping those prices low enough that our economy has a chance to improve in the long run while we develop alternative sources of energy and improve energy efficiency. It’s an important step that will improve the lives of Americans today. Andrew P. Morriss is H. Ross & Helen Workman Professor of Law and Business and Professor at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Readers may write him at UI College of Law, 504 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820.


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