The picture you see to your right is NOT ANWR, but the leftist, determined to block oil and gas exploration in Alaska would have you believe otherwise. The picture, below, however, is a fair depiction of the region in question. Today the Senate handed yet another defeat to those determined to open ANWR to drilling. The left would have us believe that drilling to the Alaskan refuge would have a grave impact on the environment and native species, but this is a misnomer. The left would also have us believe that the amount of oil in ANWR is insignificant. This too is incorrect.

To be accurate the amount of oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge would not lead to a significant reduction in gas prices, but this is not and should not be our primary objective. Our primary objective must be to lessen our dependence on an unreliable and at times, hostile source of energy, like Venezuela and the Middle East. Is new exploration the only answer? No! Drilling and new exploration is only one aspect of a much-needed national energy policy. Something both parties have failed miserably to produce. While at least the GOP has managed to come up with a partial plan, which consists solely of drilling for new sources of oil. The Democratic plan has been non-existent.

What is need is a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy. Something the Phalanx has been calling for for some time. This strategy would include both a long term and short-term component. In the long term, we MUST find alternatives to this non-renewable and finite resource. A plethora of options are available to us, including synthetic liquid fuels (SLF) derived from coal, Ethanol derived from corn and sugar cane, hydrogen and fuel cell powered vehicles. In the short term we must pursue strategies that lessen our susceptibility to the volatile oil market. This includes increasing use of hybrid technology and greater fuel efficiency for existing vehicles.

Increasingly manufacturers have demonstrated that these technologies needn’t be cost prohibitive and if the US government took steps to provide incentives for manufacturers to produce and consumers to purchase, such a strategy could prove quite effective. Sadly the good ole boys in Congress, who lack both vision and incite continue to pursue one-sided strategies or no strategies at all. Yes, we must drill in ANWR, but we mustn’t limit our thinking to only one solution to solve our nation’s energy needs. Truly, it would be a shame if the next generation remains dependent upon technology developed over 10 generations ago.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/21/arctic.drilling.ap/index.html