Drilling Oil in Alaska

the debate between environmentalists and the United States government on whether to open and develop a portion of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the northern coastal plain of Alaska for the purpose of drilling for oil. Environmentalists argue that opening up this region of ANWR to future oil drilling would destroy the current ecosystems, disrupt animal habitats and adversely change the lives of the people in these local communities. Proponents of oil drilling in this region argue that all the issues presented by the environmentalist groups are not valid and they have no scientific facts to support their argument. Proponents of this issue point to the successful Prudhoe Bay oil exploration, which has produced nearly 13 billion barrels, or, 20 to 25 percent of the oil produced in the United States for the last 23 years. President George Bush recently indicated that he is renewing his campaign to open part of the Artic refuge to oil exploration, contending that oil d...

"Too often in politics, there are fallacious either/or arguments put up as a justification or an excuse for an action or view which is skewed in such a way as to suggest that there is only one acceptable choice." Peter Garrett. The United States and much of the world is dependent on oil, a dying resource. Oil supplies are limited and fossil fuels are becoming increasingly hard to extract. The debate over drilling in environmentally important areas is a heated one. Each side of the dispute has their own opinions and proof that their argument is without a doubt, the only way. These pre-installed views are nearly impossible to sway, and rightfully so, everyone is initialed to their own opinion. But this paper will attempt to shed a little more light on the issue, and with any luck, influence a few to look at things in a slightly different light. Based on the limited life of oil, cost effectiveness and environmental damage, drilling in ANWR should not be conductedOur country utilizes an average of 700 million gallons of oil per day (NOAA, 2002). We are a country heavily dependent on oil. The film, which is about the important resource of oil, begins at Midway Sunset, the largest oil producing field in California. It is also the "largest oil-producing field in the continental United States." In November of 1909, Midway Sunset had great success with the "Midway Gusher." This gusher poured out 2000 barrels of oil a day, which was an astounding amount in 1909 (San Joaquin Geological Society, 2000).

The film begins with Midway Sunset and its use of seismology, the science of earthquakes, and the drilling of oil wells. Also, the film talked about steam injection, a form of secondary recovery for oil. This method is used to pump oil that is difficult to extract. Steam injection works by the injection of steam into a reservoir to decrease oil viscosity, or thickness. This method, working at a high heat, allows the oil to be pumped