Article Title: The Arctic Oil and Wildlife Refuge Author/Source: W.

Wayt Gibbs

Key Points: Alpine is the newest westernmost of the North Slope Oil Fields in Deadhorse, Alaska Valves open November 2000, crude oil flowed the 50 miles back to Pump Station 1 near Deadhorse By February, Alpine's production has hit maximum output of 90,000 barrels a day Soaring gas prices spurred North Slope companies to commit $75 million to plan a $10-billion gas pipeline. Named for section of Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 that set aside 1.5 million acres of fed property in deference to geologists' guesses that region entombs billions of barrels of oil Same act placed 1002 Area inside the 19-million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in deference to biologists' observations that the coastal plain provides a premium Arctic habitat. Congress instigated one of the longest environmental turf wars of the past century. Sen. Frank. H. Murkowski introduced S. 389 which would open 1002 to oil and gas exploration. The bill allows the Bureau of Land Management to restrict activities to ensure that they will result in no adverse effect on fish and wildlife, habitat and environment Petroleum geologists asserted that the oil industry could move without causing more than cosmetic damage. Eight groups of Geologists relied on a single set of data from a seismic survey made in the winters of 1984 and 1985 to see amount of oil and gas that sit below 1002 Area Source rocks, trap formations and extent of migration all must be estimated based on analogies and prior of experience. Using pictures to look at formations used to estimate amount of oil Best assessment is from Kenneth J. Bird from the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) Bird's group concluded that thorough exploration would most likely yield seven billion barrels of economically recoverable oil. ($24 a barrel) At seven billion barrels, it would hold half as much profitable petroleum as Prudhoe Bay in 1977. Companies would have a year or two to do more intense seismic surveys to prepare bids on leases. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggests that if the USGS estimate of 7 bbo is correct, then the 1002 Area will generate fewer than 200,000 barrels a day for the first five years and petroleum consumption will go from 19.5 million to 23 million Wide, low-pressure tires of seismic trucks leave little trace on flat, frozen snow For petroleum geologists, truth emerges only from holes in the ground. Once the supercomputers have spit out their images, exploration teams would fan out across 1002 to drill wells. Mobile drill rig weighs 2.2 million pounds If oil is recovered, plants must be built

Oil development could affect animals in many ways. Drilling is injected deep into wells or burned, which reduces impact of foxes and bears. There are other emissions though. How animal inhabitants of 1002 area would react is a puzzle to which biologists have only pieces of a solution. Wildlife is displaced around oil fields. Tundra swans for example Brad Griffith of U.A.F's Institute of Arctic Biology found two important patterns in the distribution since 1985 of the 130,000 caribou of the Porcupine herd. 1st pattern: calf survival with amount of high-protein food in the calving area. -2nd: caribou cows with newborns have consistently concentrated in the most rapidly greening areas. Patricia Reynolds of Fish and Wildlife Service who monitors 250 muskoxen that live in 1002 area points out that animal survives brutal winters. If oil workers mine gravel, the muskoxen will bolt and upset the balanced energy budget and jeopardizing young If global climate is changing, its effects will be magnified in northern latitudes

Authors Point of View Wayt Gibbs is informing the readers about how oil was discovered and by who. A man from the U.S Geological Survey by the name of Kenneth J. Bird and his group have made a hypothesis that 7 billion barrels of oil are stored in the depths of the southernmost, North Slope. At seven billion barrels, it would hold half as much profitable petroleum as Prudhoe Bay in 1977. Companies would have a year or two to do more intense seismic surveys to prepare bids on leases. All of this will affect wildlife animals.

C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views My thoughts throughout reading this article are that this article talked a lot about drilling and how much of an impact it makes. For example, drilling affect wildlife animals. Drilling needs to stop because if wildlife animals are being affected, this will affect us also, this can negatively affect our economy and our society. I agree that we do need oil, but there should be safer techniques in getting it.

So what? In Alaska there is a debate whether or not the drilling for it should happen or keep the wildlife in peace.

Says who? W. Wayt Gibbs

What if..? No drilling is done in Alaska?

What does this remind you of? This remind me of Fracking, because a lot of drilling occurs.