One side argues that drilling for oil could bring in significant amounts of money, while providing jobs for people in Alaska. Others, however, are fearful of the impact drilling would have on the many animals that live there - as well as the damage burning more fossil fuels would have on our rapidly warming planet.
This push from the Trump administration comes just two months after the Arctic circle recorded its highest ever temperatures. Any oil spills, for example, would not only harm nearby wildlife and their habitat, they could be fatal.
Polar bears, Ms Monsell adds, are "particularly vulnerable" to oil spills. It will be groomed and ingested, irritate the skin, and destroy the insulating abilities of the fur," she says.
An oil-coated bear that is not cleaned and rehabilitated will probably die. Oil industry bosses insist they have a well-established record of environmentally responsible development of Alaska's energy resources. But environmentalists say the US government has not adequately considered the risks to wildlife and local communities. Meanwhile, polar bears are far from the only animals who rely on this large stretch of wilderness.
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Travel The last artists crafting a Thai royal treasure. Subscriber Exclusive Content. Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? How viruses shape our world. The era of greyhound racing in the U. Seismic work was launched in ANWR in Seismic testing in Alaska was originally done along the coastal plain.
It involves using blasts of sound to locate oil and natural gases, and can be invasive and disturbing to wildlife. Today, marks from the tests still scar the land amid the otherwise untouched ecosystem.
Now, multiple Alaska Native corporations have applied to continue with more intense testing during the winter of Seismic work is controversial because of its unknown effects animals.
While studies have been conducted to evaluate the extent of potential natural resources in the area, none have given any consideration to how additional testing may influence wildlife. The use of sound blasts, explosives, and airstrips will unquestioningly disrupt animals who call the refuge home. There is particular concern for hibernating polar bears along the Beaufort Sea, whose population has dwindled down to The testing is not the only issue that is drawing the attention of apprehensive Americans.
So, how is this issue related to students at LFHS? And is there anything we can do to help? In a larger sense, it is important to inform the general public about the ANWR drilling situation, especially during a time when it is such a controversial and relevant subject. Many people do not know about it, or if they do, it is oftentimes only one side of the story. And on a more local scale, the most important thing we can do is exercise our right to vote. Eisenhower in , the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge ANWR was once again used as a political football this week by those on both sides of the issue of whether to allow exploration for oil and natural gas beneath the 1.
In question this time is the future of a grand total of 9 federal leases auctioned off to a small handful of willing bidders in January as one of the final acts of the Trump administration. The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would suspend any efforts to economically develop those leases based on claims that the environmental impact study conducted by the Trump Interior Department in advance of the lease sale was somehow lacking.
Opponents of the move claimed that this was just one more instance of this administration taking a purely political action motivated by its seemingly boundless desire to cater to the environmental lobby that helped to put it into office.
Regardless of the motivation for the suspension, several key facts surrounding these leases and the process that led to their issuance seem to be getting lost in the media reporting this week.
One obvious motivation for all three of these entities to secure these leases would be a strategy of holding them in hopes of eventually partnering with actual oil and gas companies who have the financial wherewithal to risk the billions of up-front capital that would be required to explore for oil in this Arctic region. The reasons why are simple: Drilling in ANWR is too controversial, too legally difficult, too costly and there are too many other good places around the globe to explore for oil and gas.
Most of the news stories this week noted that Alaska state officials, including Gov.
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