As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.In
the wake of already high gas prices exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina,
drilling proponents have increasingly called on Congress to allow oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, claiming that drilling
can be done with little impact on the environment. But a new report by
OSPIRG Foundation demonstrates that oil spills on Alaska’s North Slope
have increased sharply since 2000.
“Our report, ‘Saving America's Arctic: Dispelling Myths about Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,’
shows that oil and gas drilling is incompatible with an area as
pristine and wild as the Arctic Refuge,” said OSPIRG Field Director
Laura Etherton. “An industry that averages one oil spill every 16 hours
should not be allowed to get its hands on one of America’s last wild
places.”
According
to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the number of
reported oil spills on Alaska’s North Slope increased 33% between 1996
and 2004. In 2004, 550 spills were reported on the North Slope.
Alaska’s North Slope has experienced an average of 504 spills annually
since 1996.
The
coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is one of America’s last wild
places. The Refuge supports a wide array of wildlife, including
caribou, polar bear, musk oxen, and more than 130 species of migratory
birds. The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is also sacred to the
Gwich’in, Native Americans who refer to the area as the ‘sacred place
where life begins.’
Following
recent high gas prices now exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina, drilling
proponents have increasingly called on Congress to allow drilling in
the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. But drilling in the Arctic
Refuge is unlikely to solve America’s energy problems or reduce the
price of gas. According to the Bush administration’s own Energy
Information Administration, oil from the Arctic Refuge would reduce the
price of gas by less than a penny and a half in 2025, the estimated
peak year for Refuge oil production. The same EIA study points out that
drilling in the Refuge would reduce imports of foreign oil by only two
to four percent at best.
“Instead
of drilling in the Arctic Refuge, America needs an energy policy that
is good for the environment and consumers,” said Etherton. “The easiest
way to do that is to make our cars, SUVs, and light trucks go farther
on a gallon of gas.”
