The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) , finalized in December of 1980, designated the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain within ANWR a study area, to be evaluated for its oil and gas development potential. The resource evaluation, conducted by the Department of Interior, was released in 1987 and recommended that Congress open the […]
The Chukchi and Beaufort Sea areas of the outer continental shelf (OCS) have been explored for over three decades in hopes to discover and produce oil to add to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) . The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) estimates the Chukchi contains a mean average of 15.38bbls of conventional oil […]
High potential. The high potential for significant discoveries of oil and gas in ANWR has long been recognized. Early explorers of the region at the turn of the century, found oil seeps and oil-stained sands. However, since ANWR was established in 1960, exploration in the region has been restricted to surface geological investigations, aeromagnetic surveys, […]
Imported Oil Too Costly The U.S. currently imports 50% of its oil. We consume 18 million barrels of oil a day and the Energy Information Administration projects this to increase to over 25 million barrels a day in the next 20 years. Meanwhile our domestic production, for which Alaska counts for 6%, is in […]
Grizzly Bears Grizzly bears enter their dens sometime during the first two weeks of October and remain there until mid-April in the case of most adults or mid-May in the case of sows with newborn cubs. The bears spend about half of the year avoiding the environmentally stressful winter period. Within ANWR, most dens are […]
The Coastal Plain area demonstrates a striking contrast between summer and winter. During the summer months temperatures are relatively warm (40 degrees) and daylight is continuous. During the winter months temperatures drop well below O degrees and blowing snow fills in valleys and swales, resulting in the appearance of a vast, white wasteland. ANWR WEATHER […]