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The Truth about the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge

-- A column by Congressman Geoff Davis

Since the Democrats gained the Majority in both the House and Senate in 2006, the price at the pump for a gallon of regular gasoline has increased by nearly $2.  Despite Democrats’ promises of a “commonsense plan” to lower gas prices, the average price of gas recently crossed the $4 per gallon mark.  Kentuckians are struggling to stretch their budgets to accommodate the increased cost of fuel and food.  As a nation, we must use our available domestic resources to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

The subject of whether or not to open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been debated for more than forty years, yet there is still misinformation circulating on the subject. 

ANWR is located in Northeast Alaska, approximately 1,300 miles south of the North Pole.  The entirety of the 19 million acre refuge is situated within the Arctic Circle.  In 1980, Congress limited the footprint of any potential development for oil and gas production to 2,000 acres, or .01% of the total refuge.  A United States Geological Survey completed in 1998 determined that ANWR could yield as much as 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil. 

To put it into perspective, consider that the Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport sits on more than 7,000 acres of land.  If Congress permitted drilling in ANWR, we could extract millions of barrels of oil from a location that is less than one-third the size of our airport.

Some environmentalists insist that ANWR drilling would cause irreversible harm to Alaska’s landscape.  However, the history of responsible drilling in other areas of the State, like the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Prudhoe Bay field, tells a different story.  Both these sites have produced billions of barrels of oil without causing any measurable harm to the local ecosystem.  Opponents to ANWR drilling cite concerns about the well-being of the Alaskan caribou populations, despite the fact that caribou population in Prudhoe Bay has multiplied from 3,000 to 23,000 since drilling commenced there in 1977. 

The Department of the Interior has estimated that there are more than 100 billion barrels of recoverable oil beneath our nation’s federal lands and coastal waters.  That's enough oil to power 60 million cars for sixty years.  If we were to effectively utilize our domestic resources, America could become more energy independent and reduce the cost of fuel.

            Residents throughout the Fourth District of Kentucky contact me on a regular basis to express their support for domestic oil exploration.  Nearly 60% of all Americans support the development of more domestic energy, while more than 75% of Alaskans support opening ANWR to responsible drilling.  The Democratic leaders in Congress have proven themselves to be out of touch by turning away any attempt to use American resources to lower prices for the American people.  Drilling in ANWR would lower fuel costs, generate approximately $191 billion in additional revenue for our nation and create thousands of new jobs.  We cannot afford to let American resources like ANWR go unused while gas prices continue to skyrocket.

Alexandra Haynes

Press Secretary

Congressman Geoff Davis, KY-04

1108 Longworth HOB

Washington, DC 20515

202-225-3465 (office)

202-225-0003 (fax)

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