Drilling in ANWR: Environmental Inpact

[Drabav]

The vote has been cast. 51-49, in favor of drilling. Whether we are happy or not about it, oil exploration in ANWR is almost inevitable.

 

The purpose of this thread is to figure out what the impact of drilling will be upon the ecology of both the area directly drilled upon, as well as the surrounding area. Please feel free to rant on the topic if you wish, or not or whatever. I think I am going to go sleep now. This topic has me personally exausted and depressed.

 

Draba v.

 

...A postscript to the hope of spring.

[syntax252]

The vote has been cast. 51-49' date=' in favor of drilling. Whether we are happy or not about it, oil exploration in ANWR is almost inevitable.

 

The purpose of this thread is to figure out what the impact of drilling will be upon the ecology of both the area directly drilled upon, as well as the surrounding area. Please feel free to rant on the topic if you wish, or not or whatever. I think I am going to go sleep now. This topic has me personally exausted and depressed.

 

Draba v.

 

...A postscript to the hope of spring.[/quote']

 

Well, if they stick to the plan, it only involves 1000 acres which is about 1/10 of 1% of the size of the refuge.

 

I think we can pay that price to keep the lights comming on in the morning.....

[Drabav]

If they stick to the plan. I would hope that would happen. Unfortunatly, that doesn't seem to be the history of industry in this country. And actually, the estimate is more along the lines of 2000 acres, but that will most likely be spread over a large area, and the roads and pipelines could cut the 1002 area into a maze. Let me remind you, 1002 has the largest concentration of onshore polar bear dens in the world, the summer home to around 138 species of migratory birds, and the caving grounds of a 123,000 member caribou herd. Not to mention the lichen species, which make up all of the vegitation of the area, are extremely sensitive to pollution. When it comes to wilderness protection, its a big wound to build oil wells in a wildlife refuge. Who knows what could happen next? Drilling in National Parks? Its a sad thought.

 

And where do you live that they burn gasoline for electrical generation? I've didn't know that it was used that way.

 

Draba v.

 

...A postscript to the hope of spring.

[AzurePhoenix]

That thousand acres doesn't include the roads that will have to be built, which must cut through hundreds of miles of wilds. And 1/10 of 1% of the human population is still a pretty big number. So's that much space in a reserve, in the long run.

[syntax252]

If

 

And where do you live that they burn gasoline for electrical generation? I've didn't know that it was used that way.

 

Draba v.

 

...A postscript to the hope of spring.

 

You think they are going to pump gasoline out of those wells?

[syntax252]

That thousand acres doesn't include the roads that will have to be built, which must cut through hundreds of miles of wilds. And 1/10 of 1% of the human population is still a pretty big number. So's that much space in a reserve, in the long run.

 

I think if you will access this site, you will have a better idea of what is planned for anwar as well as why we want to extract that oil.

http://www.doi.gov/

[Pangloss]

One interesting aspect of this, as mentioned by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times in his column yesterday, is that the geography of the situation, even with the Pipeline, is such that the oil can really only be sent to West Coast refineries, which are already operating at more or less capacity. So it's quite possible that the oil will be sold in Asian markets instead.

 

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's interesting.

[syntax252]

One interesting aspect of this' date=' as mentioned by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times in his column yesterday, is that the geography of the situation, even with the Pipeline, is such that the oil can really only be sent to West Coast refineries, which are already operating at more or less capacity. So it's quite possible that the oil will be sold in Asian markets instead.

 

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's interesting.[/quote']

 

True, it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

The world price of oil is based on the world supply.

[Guest Yvonne]

If all the alternatives were exhausted - it would be much more likely that the big money would be invested in making renewable energies the mainstream.

[syntax252]

If all the alternatives were exhausted - it would be much more likely that the big money would be invested in making renewable energies the mainstream.

 

Now you have it!

 

Once you see the big shooters on Wall St. selling their oil stocks and buying into companies built around alternate energy sources, you will know the day of the rotten dinosaur are over.

[Ophiolite]

.... you will know the day of the rotten dinosaur are over.

Can we stop with references to the source of oil as being the decaying remains of dinosaurs, even as a poetic analogy. There may be children reading who will be cruelly decieved.

[TimeTraveler]

Can we stop with references to the source of oil as being the decaying remains of dinosaurs, even as a poetic analogy. There may be children reading who will be cruelly decieved.[img']http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif[/img]

 

lol.

 

I think that we really should put more concentration into renewable energy sources rather than drilling in anwr, what we are doing is trying to stall rather than trying to repair/replace. I don't think it's a huge deal for now, my fear is whats next, like someone said, do we start drilling in our national parks? Oil from here might help slow the price hikes, but the price is still going to continue rising.