You want to know what “PLENTY” is Jason?

I’ve shown this chart before but apparently you haven’t bothered to look at it:

That doesn’t even take into account the oil shales in the Rockies which are estimated to be many times greater than all the current fields shown here.

We could develop these fields as we transition away from foreign oil and have enough to power the entire country as we implement alternatives.

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You make a compelling argument, Mike. I still think you should quantify “PLENTY”… nobody seems to be addressing the 1/20th increase in oil supply that ANWR will bring. But you’re right, the locals will benefit, and the environmental impact may be minimal.

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Then why ask who gets them. If a company drills they get a profit, then that goes into the stocks and the stock holders, you, me anyone with a retirement fund or a401k get the dividends.

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No, I don’t think the government should drill or get the profits.

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LOL, Mike!!!! A picture is definitely worth a thousand words!! Thanks!!

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Jason: There is no sound environmental reason not to drill for oil in ANWR, off the coasts or on the land in the U.S.

You might recall that Hurricane Katrina destroyed dozens of oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Did you see any photographs of oil soaked beaches on the nightly news?

How many times do I have to say this? There is PLENTY of oil right here. ANWR is just one large pool of it that we know we can get at quickly. There are many more.

And the corporations which put up the money to drill and take the financial risks will also reap the financial reward. Oil companies currently make less % profit than nearly every other large American industry.

And who benefits from oil exploration right here in the U.S.? The American consumer and the federal government which would collect a bonanza of new tax revenue to fund all those alternative development programs.

The Caribou at Prudhoe Bay (on the North Slope to the west of ANWR). The Caribou love it there. And note that ANWR oil installations would be a fraction of this size. Technology has come a long way since this station was built.

And here are the Three Bears out for a stroll on top of the nice warm oil pipeline at Prudhoe. They’re probably on their way to eat some of the Caribou.

And here are some of the happy native residents of Kaktovik, which lies within the ANWR drilling area. Opinion polls consistently show locals overwhelmingly support drilling as it means jobs, money for schools and community development. Funny how liberals in the lower 48 states would deny them the same opportunity that lower staters enjoy.

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Yes they would be privately funded. The stock holders would profit. And everyone benefits because of lower gas prices,and lower food prices and everything else will be lower in price. Umm that is economics 101. So you think the government should drill and get the profits??? What would the benfit of that be????

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Thanks for the intelligent and civil discourse, Chris.

1 million barrels a day is 1/20 of our current usage. In 2015, are we still going to be using that much? Increased population might balanced dropping consumption (thanks to higher prices), so maybe. I just don’t see a 5% increase in oil supply as that significant. How much do you think that will affect prices?

But, maybe every little bit helps. If drilling really could be done safely, maybe there isn’t any reason to oppose it. But I still wonder, are the operations privately funded? Who gets the profits? Who really benefits?

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Jason, I don’t think 1 million barrels of crude oil a day is 3 drops in the bucket. It makes sense when you look at the effectiveness of supply and demand. And, as was stated, this kind of relief, as well as in other areas in the country where we could drill safely, would give us more elbow room to work on alternative technologies.

I have to say something regarding the environmentalists and ANWAR. I know someone who grew up in Alaska, and personally saw the changes building the pipeline brought. No changes! I’m sure the environmentalists extreme were complaining about the wildlife and the land then, too. My friend said that the animals–adapted!! Can you believe it??? He witnessed the various critters walking about freely, no problems.

Obviously, the pipeline is not the same as oil drilling…but it’s my understanding that it can be done safely, with minimal effects on the surrounding environment.

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10-16 billion barrels of oil is three drops in the bucket?

More like a TWO YEAR supply of ALL the oil America needs. But if you won’t let us drill there, and you won’t let us drill off the coasts and you won’t let us process the oil shale then we are NEVER going to be energy independent and our economy will suffer.

America has enough oil RIGHT HERE to be energy independent, with just a little help now and then from Canada.

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