Thank you for contacting me regarding oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
I believe oil exploration and the environment can co-exist in ANWR. Twenty years of development 70 miles to the west of ANWR at Prudhoe Bay have proven that case. Unfortunately for gas prices and national security, production at Prudhoe Bay is declining, and oil production from ANWR will be needed for its replacement. Prior to the conference committee, the House version of the energy bill contained language permitting such activities.
Often the rhetoric on this contentious issue obscures the reality of the proposed development. ANWR comprises an area the size of the state of South Carolina - 19 million acres. The area that would be open to leasing and exploration is limited to the 1.5 million acre coastal plain, and production activities (buildings, roads, etc.) can only occur on 2,000 acres (3.13 sq. mi.) of the coastal plain -- a space roughly the size of Sky Harbor Airport. The oil lies along the extreme northern coast of Alaska and is far away from the verdant landscapes environmental organizations show when criticizing the proposal. Moreover, the only residents of the coastal plain, Inupiat Eskimos in the village of Kaktovik, fully support exploration as it will allow them to greatly improve living conditions for their people. As long as the necessary steps are taken to preserve the environment, I support exploration and development on the coastal plain of ANWR.
Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. In the future, please continue to share your thoughts on this or any other matter. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit my website at
http://johnshadegg.house.gov/ where you can sign up for my email newsletter, The Shadegg Source.
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