Running Head:  LITERATURE REVIEW

                     Literature Review: Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary and Oil Drilling

                                                  A.S.M. Raufur Rahim Chowdhury

                                                The University of Texas at El Paso

                                                                       Abstract

The Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary is one of the largest wildlife refuges in the United States. It is the home of millions of animals’ lives in the Arctic region. It is not only a refuge for animals but also a great place for natural beauty. After investigation scientists found that there is some oil in that region. To some people oil drilling is a good option to make the US economy stronger on the other side some people are thinking that it will create a serious hazard to the wildlife refuge of Alaska. Some are against it and others are for it. This review of literature will explore this debate about whether or not drilling should occur in the ANWR.

                                                                      

                           Literature Review: Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary and Oil Drilling

        Alaska is situated in the northwest extremity of North America. It is the largest state of United States of America. Alaska is the home of the largest wildlife refuge of United States. It is called Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Some people think that drilling oil there will create a serious disaster to the wildlife of Alaska. On the other hand, some say that drilling oil is a good option because it will make US economy stronger and it will not affect the wildlife in a great extent. The following questions will help to understand the debate a  bout Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary and oil drilling.

                       1.What is the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary?

                       2.Should it be opened for oil drilling?

                       3.What are the alternatives?

          This literature review is about Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary and oil drilling will focus on these questions. These questions will help to present a clear idea about the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary and the ideas against and for the oil drilling concept. With these things, alternatives to oil drilling will be discussed and explained.

                                              What is the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary?

    The Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary lies on the northern edge of North American continent. It is also known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “On the northern edge of our continent, stretching from the peaks of the Brooks Range across a vast expanse of tundra to the Beaufort Sea, lies Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” (NRDC, 2008). It is one of the largest wildlife refuges in the world. It is a very large area of land at the northern part of Alaska. Pasquale (2001) says, “Along the freezing northern region of Alaska’s coast lies approximately twenty million acres of land known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or better known by its acronym, ANWR.” Geographically the Alaskan peninsula is a great place.  It contains plenty of geologic and scenic features. This is area is covered by trees and lots of other plants, which make this place pretty unique.

           Alaska is a place of natural beauty. The wildlife refuge is even more beautiful. The Alaskan Wildlife Refuge has mountains, lakes, mares and rivers. It also has volcanoes and a beautiful bay around it. The forest provides shelter for lots of animals like birds, hare and grizzly bears. Booth (1980) states, “Alaska has been called a nurse to the world, providing nesting and feeding areas for some 400 million migratory birds which disperse each Fall to at least six continents; calving and dinning sites for international populations of caribou and polar bear; and the spawning grounds for salmon, other fish and shellfish populations which feed the world.” From this quote it is clear that the Alaskan wildlife refuge is the shelter for huge number of fishes, birds and animals. It provides food and shelter for millions of migratory birds which come from at least six continents. This wildlife refuge produces salmon, shellfish and other fishes which provide food for the world. There is no doubt that the Alaskan wildlife refuge has a great impact in the world ecology. It is not only one of the largest wildlife refuges in the world but also one of the most beautiful scenic places on the earth. The Alaskan wildlife refuge is a great asset for the world.

                                                     Should it be opened for oil drilling?

        A lot of debate is going on against and for oil drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge Sanctuary. Few people think that it is a good idea to drill in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, while on the other hand few people think that if oil is drilled from there, it will be a disaster for the wildlife of Alaska. A survey has been constructed on this topic. Out of twenty people about 65 percent were against the oil drilling in Alaskan wildlife Refuge, 30 were not sure about what should be done in this situation and 5 thought that oil should be drilled from Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. The graph of this survey is mentioned below:

            From the survey it is very clear that most people are against the oil drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Lots of reasons have influenced people to be against drilling oil from the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge because they think it will create an adverse effect on the environment. They also think wild life will be in jeopardy and the oil found there is not worth the effort. Bob Barr is a former US representative (2008) who said that "The U.S. has large deposits of petroleum, oil shale, and natural gas. Barriers to their development in the Outer Continental Shelf, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and other federal lands should be lowered or eliminated, which would provide Americans with a more secure source of energy over the short term and help bring down today's high prices, which are causing such economic hardship to so many Americans." From his statement it is clear that he supports oil drilling because it will make the economy stronger and the price of energy will become cheaper, which will make life easier for people. In this statement Bob Barr did not mention any adverse effects on the Alaskan wildlife refuge; he just emphasizes on making the economy stronger.

         However, many are against oil drilling. US president Barack Obama (2007) says, “I strongly reject drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because it would irreversibly damage a protected national wildlife refuge without creating sufficient oil supplies to meaningfully affect the global market price or have a discernible impact on US energy security." According to Barack Obama it is clearly evident that he is concerned with the environment, in this statement he also mentioned that the economic advantage that may possible to get from this oil drilling is not a very significant amount. He thinks that drilling oil from Alaska will create a serious hazard on this region so he is against it. Lots of debates are going on this issue. Dr. Heyman, the chair of Sociology & Anthropology department of UTEP, said that “Scientific knowledge, such as the debate over oil drilling and wildlife, is contentious. There are scientific facts. But what they mean, what they tell us, is a matter of public debate” (J. Heyman, person of communication, March11, 2010). According to Dr. Heyman, the matter of Alaskan wildlife and oil drilling is a matter of public debate. It is a matter of contention. According to his opinion, people are just trying to find out what would be better for the future. From this discussion it seems that oil drilling from the Alaskan wildlife refuge is a highly debated issue. But most of the people are against this issue on the other hand the people giving their opinion to drill oil from Alaskan wildlife refuge have some reasons to drill oil from that region. Considering all these things it is evident that drilling oil from the Alaskan wildlife refuge is still a matter of contention.                        

                                                            What are the alternatives?

           There are lots of alternatives to oil drilling in Alaska. Alaska is not the only place to find for oil in this planet. The oil that can be found from Alaska is not sustainable enough to provide energy for a long time. The oil that can be found form the Alaskan wildlife refuge would just meet our needs for a few years. Lots of things can be done in this place other than oil drilling. The Alaskan peninsula is a place with natural beauty. It has trees, lakes, mares, mountains and these areas are full of beautiful birds. The lakes, mares and rivers are full of fishes. So, it can be a good place for tourist spot. Lots of tourist facilities can be built to make this place more attractive for people to come to visit and spend time there without harming the wildlife. One option is “an air taxi operator licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration who flies people to/from and/or within the Refuges. Transporters must have special-use permits to operate on the refuge” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Then, more people will be able come and visit Alaska and they will get a firsthand knowledge of what actually should be done and what should not be done here. Then the situation will be familiar to people and they will be able to take necessary steps to make this place better for the wildlife.

           The main reason of drilling in Alaska is for oil. Oil is one of the most important needs in the United States. New sources of oil have to be found which will fulfill the needs of Americans. At the same time large amount of money should be invested for finding renewable energy sources. The United States has lots of opportunities to produce renewable energy. According to Christopher Paine, Director of the Nuclear Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), "The US has enough potentially recoverable efficiency savings and renewable energy resources - direct solar radiation, indirect solar radiation, wind, geothermal, biomass, small hydro, and wave-tidal energy, to eventually power the entire US economy, essentially indefinitely, without nuclear or coal.” Using these sources, large amount of energy can be produced. The wildlife, the nature and the environment of Alaska is a very important issue. Just for oil drilling all these things will affect the wildlife refuge. A lot of research is going on to find new sources of energy and different kinds of alternatives have been found already. Some countries are producing fuel from ethanol which is used to run car engines. This fuel is a good invention to reduce the dependence on oil. New ways of producing energy have to be found so that we can lessen the dependence on oil from the Alaskan wildlife refuge.

                                                                     Conclusion

           The Alaskan wildlife refuge is one of the greatest refuges for wild animals in the world. It is a sanctuary for millions of animals with a great ecosystem. It is a great place which contains lakes, rivers, mountains, etc. The Alaskan wildlife refuge is one of the most geologically rich places in the world. Oil drilling was such a bad idea to some of the people. To them it will create a serious problem in the ecosystem of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. So, many people raised their voice against it. On the other hand, many people think that drilling oil will make the US economy stronger, prices will become cheaper and it will have a very little effect on the environment and the ecosystem of the Alaskan wildlife refuge. Consequently, these people think that oil drilling from the Alaskan wildlife refuge is a good option to make the US economy stronger. It is a contentious issue and is still a matter of public debate. 

                                                                    References

1. AWRS Oil Drilling Survey. (2010). [Online Survey]. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from Online               
   

2.             Web Survey
   

Barr, B. (2008, July 24). Bob Barr Statement on Energy and Global Warming. Procon. Retrieved             

            March 11, 2010 from http://2008election.procon. org/view.resource.php?

            resourceID=1669#obama

Booth, L. (1980). Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: A Crown Jewel in Jeopardy. Heinonline.

            Retrieved March 11, 2010 from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=        

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Natural resources defense council (NRDC) (July16, 2008), Retrieved March 25, 2010, from    

            http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arctic.asp

Obama, B. (2007, October 24). Presidential Candidates Views on ANWR [Arctic National

             Wildlife Refuge]: The Democrats. Procon. Retrieved March 11, 2010 from http://  

            2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=1669

Paine, C. (2008, July 15-17). Is Nuclear Power Essential to Addressing Climate Change and

            Energy Independence? Procon. Retrieved March 26, 2010 from http://  

            alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001244

Pasquale, K (2001, October 20). ANWR: The Legislative Quagmire Supporting Stakeholder

            Control and Protection, and the Practical Consequences of Allowing Exploration.

            Heinonline. Retrieved March 11, 2010 from http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?

            collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/bufev9&div=12&id=&page=

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2005). Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan and

           Environmental Impact Statement Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife

           Refuges. In Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan (2005). Retrieved March 25, 2010,

           from http://library.fws.gov/CCPs/alaskapen_bech_rev05.pdf