To Drill or not to Drill in ANWR: I say NO!

I say no to drilling in ANWAR. We already have enough endangered species. Drilling in Anwar will just make it worse, it may even make some of the already endangered species extinct. Even if we were to drill we would not even be able to use it for about 10 years. Do any of the people that want to drill think about that? So you would still have to find something else to use in the meantime.

\"I\'d rather drill 20 miles off the North Shore of Boston before ANWR. \"More Renewables, Dammit!\" agree, and then move up to ANWR and drill there, also!!!

I dont understand the arguement to not drill. Pelosi recently said \"we have a planet to save.\" Other drilling nations dont live up to our environmental standards of drilling. If we force them to drill more to offset our dumbasses for not drilling, wouldn\'t that traslate as being worse on our planet? Personally, I think the dems know that if fuel prices drop then they dont have a chance in hell of winning the elections. Force Americans (who dont have the ability of independent thinking) to think the economy is worse than it is, tell them some bs about hope and change, and tell them you will hug our enemies and make the bad men go away.......This liberal nut is smart enough to win and facist enough to screw up our American way of life. Want to live in Venezuela or Cuba? I dont

Well, I find it interesting that gas prices have dropped a few cents... (anything helps)only after there is talk of drilling... it is obvious that the rest of the world is trying to control our show... I live in the best country in the world... I love animals... but it is obvious I can''t donate to any help the "polar bear fund" any longer if I CAN''T GET TO WORK because gas is too expensive... let''s get real left wingers...we have to realize any option.

We are in trouble here folks. The government and the populous has become increasingly socialist, a formula for disaster. Socialism does not work well, and unbridled radical socialism is the precursor of communism. All you folks that are against what made this country great should move to a socialist country for a couple years and get a tune up. You might discover that living in an empire is just a lot better than residing in a third world co and we need energy to keep things together. Keep in mind China India and other emerging powers won't pay even the slightest attention to the foolishness the left is promulgating other than watching and laughing at our demise in disbelief. China will be drilling just off our coast soon and will take the oil that should have been ours. This is just nuts! History is being written today that most will look back at in disbelief. We need a strong energy policy and drilling will absolutely have to be part of it along with wind, solar, hydrogen, nuclear and conservation. We don't need to destroy the world to do it either. Caribou in Purdoe bay are thriving and I suspect there is no science that indicates the polar bears will be harmed at Anwar, probably the contrary will be the end result? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to tell those folks we import from to take a hike. If we drill today it will still be years before the oil is marketed. During that time alternates will be developed which will ease the pain some and someday will provide substantial energy. Most credible experts agree that alternatives are many years from being the mainstay of our energy needs and that oil prices will still stay high regardless of drilling, but will ease some. The continued high prices will make alternates appealing and will reduce usage and our carbon footprint without regulation.

LORD!. I'm so sick of these bleeding heart ignorant liberals. The democrats who stupidly oppose drilling, are the first whiners you hear screaming about high gas prices. This country is CTD! Circling the Drain! I happily support anyone in office who may even condemn my lifestyle, for the sake of having some whiny A--! stupid liberal there making stupid decisons that are ruing this great nation!

I recently spent two weeks in Alaska. The state is truly beautyful, but Anwar is no where near where anything would be affected by drilling.. The Alaskan people want to drill and THEY LIVE THERE! The cultists, read Dem.'s and envior's, only use this as a power chip... They are truly ruining a great country with their Global Warming crap.. They are more dangerous in their beliefs than Warren Jeffs and his women...

We need to drill in the ANWR and any other area that has large oil deposits. If more refineries are needed, they should be built as well. The free markets will continue to work on alternate fuel sources, it will never be done by the government, besides its not the governments job! An alternate fuel source would be highly profitable, the open free markets are all over it. We need a short time fix now! The liberals will not be happy until they crush our free markets, destroy the already ill economy and bring Americans to thier knees with thier ignorant ideology. It is then they feel like they can be in control. Thier throw on an extra blanket and walk to work Jimmy Carter mentality would destroy us.

Gasoline at this writing is $4.19-$4.24 a gallon and home heating oil prices in the Northeast are hovering around $4.50 a gallon. How much more can an average American take before we do something? How can anyone afford to pay over $700 to fill their oil tank. In the deepest cold of winter an average home will go through almost a full tank of oil. Drilling in ANWAR would not only give us a supply of oil, it would stop the speculators from driving up the prices of oil. It would definately ease the uncertainty of the market and send a message to the world we do not need anyone elses oil. Yes, Purdoe Bay goes to Japan, and if we do not move quickly and start building refineries so will ANWAR oil. We haven''''t built a refinery in this country in what, over 30 years? More refineries, more exploration, more utilization of OUR OWN resources to meet the demands of tomorrow. alternative sources of energy are great, however, a long way from becoming affordable and mainstream. Hybrid vehicles may help but are not the panacea as this will simply transfer the demand from oil to electricity, taxing an already dated electrical infrastructure. And how do we generate our electricity? Environmentalist damned any coal burning power plants that were online (yes there are still a few) however, most have turned to cleaner fossil fuels, can we say.. OIL!. Can''''t build nuclear, so I daresay, how do we meet the demand today and prepare for tomorrow? This is a wake up call for everyone no matter what your political view is. What will all the liberals think when vacationing in Florida and they can see all the oil platforms China is planning to build off the coast of Cuba? Who is regulating that? At least if we were to exploit what we have available to us in this country in the form of offshore drilling, there are already regulations in place to try and prevent any catastrophic event. Mistakes are bound to be made, but with todays technology, we have made great strides in providing safe drilling and minimizing the possibility of a catastrophic event. Huricane Katrina is a good example of that. All the doom and gloom sayers were wringing their hands waiting for a major event to happen with all the oil platforms in the Gulf. Not a single drop of oil was spilled. Updated refineries with current technology would contribute less polution while providing affordable fuels. In short, we are shooting ourselves in the foot by not exploring/exploiting our own natural resources. I am not for raping the planet, but common sense needs to prevail here. With todays technology and mindset, there is no reason we can not drill for oil safely, economically in a cohesive manner with the environment. It wasn''''t OIL that caused the Exxon Valdez catastrophe. It was lack of governance, or better yet lack of oversight. The NTSB identified four factors as contributory to the grounding of the Valdez according to Wikipedia: * The third mate failed to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue and excessive workload. * The master failed to provide navigation watch, possibly due to impairment under the influence of alcohol. * Exxon Shipping Company failed to supervise the master and provide a rested and sufficient crew for the Exxon Valdez. * The United States Coast Guard failed to provide an effective vessel traffic system. In the aftermath congress also passed the Oil Pollution Act which stated "A company cannot ship oil into the United States until it presents a plan to prevent spills that may occur. It must also have a detailed containment and cleanup plan in case of an oil spill emergency." As far as I am concerned the United States has more regulation of the oil industry than any other country in the world. Are you comfortable in knowing that China will be drilling right off our coast? Who is regulating them?? We are for the most part agreed we have to preserve the environment as much as possible, however sacraficing our mere ability to get to work and heat our homes should be priority. How can we save the environment, preserve the wildlife if we can''''t take care of ourselves?? Some more food for thought, how the hell can anyone propose stopping global warming ( yes this is for all you kool-aid drinkers), when we can''''t even work together to maintain our quality of life?? Do you think the average American will care about global warming when they are freezing to death in the winter because they couldn''''t afford oil? Which brings up another point, when people can''''t afford oil, what is the alternative? Can we say WOOD? I know several people who have already purchased new wood burning stoves to heat their homes. How is that going to affect our environment?

Yea, lets drill ANWAR screw all the animals and fisherman. I ask you, why aren''t we using the oil from the Purdoe Bay fields? Yea, we have to send that all to Japan because it''s Heavy Crude. Shouldn''t we be refining that oil for the U.S.? The smart thing to do is get the DEA to drop it''s restrictions on HEMP and get our farmers and mills back to work. HEMP will give us 300 gallons of oil per acre and 1,000 gallons of Methanol per acre. Not to mention it''s a weed and can grow ANYWHERE in the lower 48 with hardley any fertilizer or chemicals. Over 25,000 uses have been found. Put Americans back to work and lets move foreward not backwards with oil,shale or coal. Do you want another Exxon Valdez? We''re using 19th century technologies in the 21st century. GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND! Let''s put America in the lead and make some money when we sell the technology to other countries and help pay off our 9 trillion debt.

We must save the Polar Bear from extinction. Oh I forgot they have actually been increasing. Well we must save the Caribou. Oh I forgot they actually like that nasty pipe line because of the heat and produce more calves. Well we must save the landscape in Anwar. Oh I forgot there is only ice and month and months of darkness. Well let's turn our corn into fuel. Oh I forgot it used the worlds food and now that's a shortage. Oh we must have some good liberal ideas. Da aaa. Try keeping your mouth shut and appearing stupid rather than opening it and proving so.

i disagree with you sir, we are in dire need of something and why not use our resources. our country is suffering right now and the future is looking mighty dim, so you go ahead with your environmentalist left wing baloney but we should drill up there, damn the caribou and wolves

You right wing idiots remind me why we liberals had to fight for child labor laws, equal pay, a 40 hour work week, and enviromental laws. With out us, you wingnuts would have raped the planet and everything on it by now.

This is not a political issue just as social security is not. Why would anyone be against letting young people have their own retirement fund.Only if it wasn''t your idea. Grow up.We need oil,we have oil. I hope it goes up to 10.00 per gallon.We americans deserve it,that is how stupid we are. President Bush told David Letterman in 2000 that he would be paying 4.00/gal in 2006 if we did not drill. David just laugh. Yeah we can all laugh when people get laid off. can not afford to get food. can not afford to pay rent. And yes you can blame each other. You do not have to be the rockstar. You do not have to be the great wizard who wants all the credit. Get over your ego. Alaska will be find and so will the animals, but will your friends and their children. Oh yes, I remember this is a politcal issue. My party did not suggest it so obviously we can not do it. I hope it goes to 10.00 per gallon we deserve our own stupidity. Ignorance is when you do not know, stupidity is when you know and still do not do anything about it. Mr Right because it is just an issue of right or wrong as all issues are.

I think Jamie has OCD

Oh sure, my cost of gas as of today is $3.89 per gallon people. We gave up our self sufficiency for the sake of the trees and the little creatures. When do we say enough is enough? I am all for conservation, I understand the need to protect the environment, what I don''t understand is how we are to move forward when we depend on foreign oil, when we don''t embrace nuclear power, while we don''t harvest our OWN natural resources. There are ways to do both, protect the environment and stay warm. I just don''t understand the philosophy of actually wanting higher prices on gas and oil to "get our butts in high gear of renewsable". how about you get your head out of the sand. What this is costing is our mobility and our ability to heat/cool our homes. What that philosophy creates is major hardship on the little people like me who scrimp and save just to afford to heat our homes in the cold winter months, never mind the domino effect it is beginning to have on other markets and how it''s driving up the cost of FOOD. Our basic survival depends on oil and while we make other nations fat with our dollars, we allow our economy to tank, our people to struggle just to pay to get to work. What should we do? I am all for renewable energy, however as we speak, in my area there is a major effort to stop windfarm production off the coast of Cape Cod. When will all the bleeding hearts be happy? They have boxed us in such a corner, that we can''t get out. No nukes, no windfarm, no drilling onshor or offshore, not in my backyard, save the trees, save the environment.... How about we save ourselves then we''ll be better fit to help find the answers together. All you liberal thinkers when will you be happy, when we have to resort to rubbing 2 sticks together to light the fires in our caves?? Oh wait, the smoke from the fire will contribute to Global Warming... give me a flipping break!!

"You democrats are a bunch of no good little girls that hate free enterprise. If it was you collecting the oil money you would be all for it. You think that $3.50 a gallon is "Bush's Fault" Its your fault for not being for drilling in ANWR. IDIOTS!!!!" You should do a little research before you start calling others an idiot since you are clearly the one who is over their head. It would take at least 12-15 years from when congress of approves of it, till the oil actually makes it on the market. So how would that solve our current problems? Bush's first proposal was in 2003 and would've brought in 40k barrels a day. We use 20.6 million barrels everyday. The earliest we would've seen that oil was 2015 and it would've been a drop in the bucket. At peak production we could get 850k barrels a day which would represent a little over 4% of our use(Assuming our use hasn't increased by then, which it certainly will) and it would be 2020-2025 before it ever got on market. Plus we would not be able to produce that 4% peak on a consistant everyday basis. Also ethanol/biofuels wouldn't use more energy than if we transported them efficiently through pipelines like we do oil. But it is the transportation and poor designs that waste extra energy. If we started mass producing it like we do oil and used underground pipelines it would be much more efficient. With that said ethanol has other, bigger problems at the moment.

What an ignorant fool you are...we've got oil like you wouldn't imagine in Utah, Idaho, off the Gulf Coast, off the West Coast, and damn it! in Alaska. We should have been drilling in all of the above since the 90's but the stupid DEMS have been screwing up everything. 99.9% of our national parks wouldn't be affected by ANY of the drilling. The dumb libs won't even allow us to build CLEAN ENERGY nuclear plants EVEN when we've had massive rolling brown-outs in CA, NY and MA over the past 5 years. The funniest part of this is that the very people the Dems swear to protect the most: the poor and the "middle class" (no one knows what middle class even means any more) are the very people they are DESTROYING by not drilling. The Dems may have one more time at it in NOV, but when the next Jimmy Carter is elected President, us intellectually sound Americans can welcome another post-Carter Conservative revolution. To reiterate what's already been said: take the oil, create jobs, make money and put a chunk of it towards researching/developing cheaper energy. PROBLEM SOLVED

u r all meanies >.& save the penguins! yes...i am fully aware that there are no penguins in anwr (as of 40 min ago). im not stuupid

No drilling

We at least need to drill to see what we are looking at. I don't see drilling as being the end of the wildlife in that region, and there is already drilling not far from ANWAR and it hasn't killed the Polar Bears... Polar Bears, seriously are we talking about Polar Bears and how they might go on the endangered species list? Think about the impact this is having on PEOPLE that don't have any other option than to drive to work. EVERYTHING is going to cost more because we are using trucks to move our goods. I am all for finding new/different energy sources, but it is going to take years to get there, and just maybe we can use this oil to get us to the point where we can actually use new forms of energy without drastically changing our world before that point. "No Drilling, use our heads." If you were using your head you would realize we have no other choice.

Yes,it is time to drill in Anwar!!! The trust fund brats of the country need to step aside and allow the rest of us hard workers to do our best to support our families.

Yes to Drilling! Who/what is more important; humans or wildlife? Also build nuclear power plants, develop affordable solar power, install wind farms, and develop affordable hydrogen/electric vehicles. It's a matter of survival. We are at the mercy of OPEC and our economy is going to collapse if we don't take preventive action immediately.

Polar Bear population has more than doubled in Canada since the 80''s: www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1ea8233f-14da-4a44-b839-b71a9e5df868&p=2 Liberal-Socialist are destroying this country, ethanol is a great example. Have you seen the price of corn lately? Who is questioning farmers on their windfall profits? Cause and effect retards! Nice post Jordan and CaribouSteak.

theres no reason to drill utill we need it so why drill. we dont need to yet

No to Drilling, Lets use our heads

Right on! I've been deployed twice in this war and I also work for a company that is going to be building like 50 new plants in the US in the very near future.

Stick the biggest straw you can find in ANWAR and SUCK IT DRY!! AND while you are doing that, build 100 new nuclear power plants, build solar and wind farms where it makes sense, and spend $100 Billion dollars to develop battery and hydrogen powered cars and trucks that can be ready to mass produce in 10-15 years. We are at war with not just Al Qaeda, we are at war with OPEC!! P.S. Ethanol is a losing battle because it uses more energy to create it than it gives off. Ethanol is nothing more than a short term, liberal "touchy feely" story with no real impact on energy costs.

Democrats will say Bush is an idiot, and then they'll turn around and say he controls all of the oil like a king. Bush has nothing to do with the price of oil. You tree huggers will lay your life on the line for a grasshopper or a seal but you won't hesitate to murder innocent children!!! I wish Bush could run again because I would vote for him again. Someday, Bush will be viewed as a decent president.

You democrats are a bunch of no good little girls that hate free enterprise. If it was you collecting the oil money you would be all for it. You think that $3.50 a gallon is "Bush's Fault" Its your fault for not being for drilling in ANWR. IDIOTS!!!!

Just kill the the f&$*#$ing polar bear...problem solved!!!

caribou steak you are a facioust right wing suka go give your mind over to bush and the evils in this world

Actually Sleesh, it wouldn't. If we drill in ANWR, it would only decrease foreign depencancy by 4%. even if we drilled ANWR, there is NO guarantee that gas prices would drop. ANWR is primary denning grounds for the polar bear, which is losing habitat. If you really want to blame people for high gas prices, don't only blame bush, but blame all of the people who drive gas guzzlers (SUV's, ect)

I think that you are wrong. We need to be able to drill there and save our economy lots of money. It costs way too much for oil and we need a brake. Who cares if the occasional caribou runs across the plains, it's going to drastically kill the earth.

You are absolutly correct. This is a major issue, and Bush should not be allowed to drill here as a law was past banning this forty years ago. However, both O'bama and Clinton support the enviornment, and will protect the costal plain. The polar bears are allready endangered, and drilling for oil will not help this. They are expected to be extinct in fifty years if this continues. By all means do everything you can to stop drilling for oil in ANWR! By the way sisstess are hoeesss you are ^%$$&&* obnoxious!

I'd rather drill 20 miles off the North Shore of Boston before ANWR. "More Renewables, Dammit!

If you can not drill on that barron chunk of land in Anwar then you can not drill anywhere. I say drill and send that trillion dollars into our econonmy instead Chavez's economy. Take the oil fees and taxes and roll them into energy grants for Research and development. while your at it how about an experimental project recovering oil shale in Utah, after all the median estimate of recoverable oil is 3 times the size of Suadi Arabia's reserves. Fake solutions like ethanol will not help the enviroment or the USA

I say you are blissfully ignorant. I'll skip over your laughable comment that ADN's "news reporting appears balanced." HAHA!!! Having said that, I fully support renewables and conservation, but the transition will be gradual, and necessarily so, unless you want to watch our economy crumble as the people of Massachusetts and other northeastern states -- whose Congressional delegations consistently oppose domestic oil production --ratchet up their begging to Joe Kennedy and Hugo Chavez to give them more home heating oil. The fact is, no matter how hard you focus on renewables and conservation, we are going to need oil for at least the next 30-50 years -- and we have at least that much in DOMESTIC resources, from ANWR, OCS, Oil Shale, Gas Hydrates, and the list goes on. So, we can cry "more renewables! more concervation!" while we continue to send $billions to foreign governments for energy we have right here at home, or we can get off our duffs and put Americans to work producing American Energy. Renewable account for less than 3% of the Nation's energy supply and you can't conserve your way out of an empty barrel. In the future, I'd encourage you to do a bit more homework rather than "educating" yourself with "news" from the ADN.