Spill the Truth

Still think we can drill in the Arctic responsibly?

by Jen Burdick

Alaska's wilderness has fallen victim to yet another oil spill. Early on Tuesday April 12, crude oil discharged into the air from a ruptured Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline. According to state pollution officials, the crude was blown over about 50 acres of tundra.

Could this be nature's response to one of last month's most debated queries: Can oil companies drill in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge without significantly harming it?

A slight majority of the Senate seems to think so. Last month, the Senate narrowly approved a federal budget proposal that took the radical step of including appropriations for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The provision survived by a razor-thin, 51-49 margin. And it should be known that our own Sen. Arlen Specter cast one of the deciding votes in favor of drilling. By including appropriations for drilling in the federal budget proposal, as opposed to entertaining a free-standing bill on the topic, the Senate legislated its approval for drilling in the long-protected refuge by circumventing certain debate on the controversial topic.

The refuge has been protected as a unique wilderness area in Alaska since the Eisenhower administration due to the myriad species that depend on it. Considering skyrocketing oil prices and increasing global fuel consumption, many have argued in favor of opening up the protected, pristine landscape to drilling in hopes that it be an additional source of crude oil.

Although there is no way to determine precisely how much oil is under the ANWR, many in the Senate approve of the proposal for drilling because it is presented as a low-risk (environmentally) investment. Testimony, refuted by the environmental community, indicated that drilling could be accomplished without serious threat to the many species that rely on the refuge, suggesting we can have our cake and eat it, too: attain more oil and preserve ANWR.

However, do we really believe that we can drill without risking habitats? The truth is, no matter how careful oil companies are about the drilling process, oil rig operations have neither the dexterity of cosmetic surgeons nor the equipment that would allow them to perform noninvasive drilling operations. So, of course, oil may spill, pipes may break, and the bright lights and noise of these industrial areas will frighten away some, if not all, of the species in the area.

If the Senate is willing to sacrifice one of our last pristine landscapes to drilling, I implore them to do so honestly acknowledging the sacrifice they are making. However, I also call on the Senate to acknowledge that drilling in our last pristine wildlife refuge will not solve, or even significantly slow, the growing energy crisis.

U.S. and global energy consumption are rising with no end in sight, and fossil fuel resources are being exhausted without hope of replenishment. Since the last large oil crisis in the U.S. in 1973, our dependence on foreign oil has grown from 3.2 million barrels per day to 10 million barrels per day, which represents a compound annual growth of 3.7 percent.

The question should not be "to drill or not to drill?" The question is when are we, as a nation, going to deal with the fact that we need to replace our energy sources if they are to keep up with our needs? The technology for cleaner, cheaper and domestic energy sources is there, we just need to start using it.

Drilling in ANWR is at best a destructive means to push off the inevitable — our gradual shift away from fossil fuel sources like oil and coal. Instead, we should start now, preserving the refuge and proactively moving toward renewable sources of energy. Although some debate whether drilling ANWR would mean its destruction, the potential is there and it is certain that some damage will be done. Why sacrifice our last pristine wilderness in this fashion when it is clearly so unnecessary and so unhelpful? After yet another spill, we can not let our representatives, Sens. Specter and Santorum, entertain the idea of responsible drilling.

Jen Burdick is PennEnvironment's field organizer. If you would like to respond to this Slant or submit one of your own (750 words), contact Duane Swierczynski, editor in chief, City Paper, 123 Chestnut Street, third floor, Phila., Pa., 19106 or e-mail Duane Swierczynski.