Drilling in Alaska

As gas prices rise once again in the upcoming weeks, there is something I would like for you to keep in mind as you pay at the pump. First and foremost, if you are looking for someone to blame - let it be George W. Bush. Unfortunately, a primary contributor to the rising cost of oil in the world today is the United States, and more specifically, being caused by the war in Iraq.

The U.S.-led invasion has resulted in the loss of an average of 2 million barrels a day of Iraqi oil from world markets. That is a significant number with huge consequences for economies around the globe.

Oil prices stand at 20-year-high records with no relief in sight. Indeed, should the ongoing disruption of Iraqi oil exports be compounded with an interruption of production elsewhere — Russia, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or any member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries — we could be looking at prices far above $50 a barrel, perhaps $60 or more.

Neo-cons went to war thinking Iraq could become America's own personal gas station, but that hasn't happened. The Bush Administration thought they could make Iraq pay for their own invasion and the subsequent rebuild, and that the United States could siphon off the profit.

With the gross mismanagement of the Iraqi War, the Bush Administration has managed to do completely opposite of what they intended. Instead of tapping Iraq's oil supply for themselves, they have destabilized the area enough that costs in neighboring regions are skyrocketing. Fear of terrorism is a major contributor to cost increases, and guess where the new hotbed of terrorism is? Iraq, of course.

Now Bush and his big oil cronies want to invade a small, 110-mile strip of coastline in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that will take ten years to bring to market and *might* satisfy about six months of our national demand. A refuge that is this country's last major unspoiled arctic ecosystem. Despite what Bush says, there are plenty of documented negative effects due to drilling on both wildlife and habitat.

More than 90 percent of the coastal lands west of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have already been opened up to drilling, and yet despite claims by big oil companies that they can drill responsibly on Alaska's North Slope (and have done so in the past), spills are commonplace.

At the Prudhoe Bay oilfield just sixty miles west of the refuge, reportable spills of oil products and hazardous substances happen every day. In 1999 alone, these spills released 45,000 gallons of crude oil, diesel fuel, propane and ethylene glycol, among other toxic substances.

Oil is also release into the environment through leaks in the Trans-Alaskan pipeline system. Remember the Exxon Valdez spill? That was North Slope crude oil. In addition, North Slope oil and gas operations generate enormous amounts of waste - all of it exempt from hazardous-waste regulations because of a loophole in the law. As a result, millions of gallons of oily liquids and sludge, toxic brine and other wastes are dumped into open pits, frozen into the permafrost or simply discharged into the environment.

Think the oil companies will only tap one place in the center of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and leave everything else alone? Think again. The oil isn't easy to extract because it isn't in one resevoir - it is scattered in small accumulations. This means miles and miles of pipelines, wells, and roads. Experts say this kind of widespread development will massively scar the land with garbage, pollution, and oil runoff.

What was sold to the American people as an extension of our war on terrorism was based on a lie. Why Iraq? Because of the money, honey. It's always about profit. Big oil has had its eye on Alaska for a long time, and this time they have a President on their side.

Isn't it ironic that Bush's own failed attempts to control oil have allowed this opportunity for the Administration to try to give big oil what it most wants? We don't need more drilling. We need aggressive policies that eagerly works towards alternative energy. We need less SUVs on the road, and we need vehicles that get more miles to the gallon.

George W. Bush may look upon mile after mile of oil fields and think it's beautiful. The rest of America doesn't. Don't believe the lies. Don't let Bush strip America of a national treasure. Speak up and make your voice heard. Write and/or call your Congressmen (and women) today.