Open U.S. to oil exploration
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, we have seen the true colors of some of our “allies” in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has stated that if the United States should attack Iraq, a known producer and user of biological and chemical weapons, the Saudi government will side with the Iraqis. Why does this matter to us? Because we import 55% of our oil from the region, much of it from Saudi Arabia. We are faced with a dilema. Do we fight terrorism where it exists and upset our supplier of oil, or do we give in to the demands of those who do not have our national interests in mind? Opening places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration ought to be an option. The arguement against this is that the environmental impact would be greater than the production of oil. However, there is an estimated 9 to 16 billion barrels in ANWR and exploration would affect only 8% of the refuge. Old supplies could last up to 25 years. Visit www.anwr.org. The numbers are debatable, but there is at least enough oil to bring competition against OPEC and enhance our ability to properly deal with terrorist nations of the Middle East. I’m all for using realistic alternative sources of energy and fuel. But until someone can come up with a good alternative for oil, exploring for domestic oil is the reality we face.
Brian Smithslhnn@cc.usu.edu