Alaska

            Opening the Alaskan Oil Fields is the Right Thing to Do Energy is precious to the American way of life. Without sufficient amounts of energy, Americans would not have the privileges and opportunities that transportation and electricity give them today. In order to possess a sufficient amount of energy, America needs a reliable and renewable source of energy. The oil that lies beneath the Alaskan Coast Plain would yield this amount. Since a domestic resource of energy would establish a safe and secure distribution of oil in America, many beleive that drilling in this area would be exceptionally promising. To ensure smart energy use in the United States, the government must open up the Alaskan oil feilds. While opponents contend that drilling for oil in the Alaskan Coastal Plain would signficantly disrupt the habitat and wildlife there, energy independence and economic self-sufficiancy concerns indicate that the U.S. should open up these fields to exploration and drilling. keeping ANWR(Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge) off limits perpetuates America's ever-increasing reliance on oil imports. Slightly more than half of the oil Americans consumed last year was imported, compared with37 percent n 1980; that dependence will only surge further inthe decades ahead(Bartholet 19). Thus, reduced reliance on the Middle East and OPEC(organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) for foreign crude oil would help the U.S. become more self-sufficient. In addition to this decreased reliance, use of new and improved technology for this exploration would instill a sense of technological adequacy for the United States, thus, becoming more self-sufficient. Today, oil companies use high-tech exploration methods, including computer simulations, for more accurate and efficient drilling. They say they cannow look for oil without permanetly harming the landscape (debate 2). Furthermore, the United States would become more energy independent.