Oil Drilling In Alaska

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Those against oil drilling in Alaska make a number of arguments. One of these is that it would harm the environment. The problem is this simply isn’t true. The area in Alaska under discussion for drilling is tiny. Even if there were harm to the environment, it would be limited. And man kind has to make limited incursions into the environment in order to survive. But that drilling harms the environment is suspect. Existing drilling sites have had limited impact to the environment around them. Animals seem to thrive around pipelines. So this argument is pretty weak.

Another argument against oil drilling in Alaska is that we have to get off using oil, so no more should be produced. It’s a shrinking resource, so we need to save it for later. If it’s never used, however, then for what is it being saved?

Many people say no to oil drilling in Alaska because there is other land that hasn’t been explored for oil drilling. This land is already leased to oil companies for exploration. But oil companies want to drill where they know there is oil. That keeps costs down. Exploration into new oil producing lands can continue while the areas with oil are exploited. That makes sense.

Oil drilling in Alaska is popular amongst the people of Alaska. They know the impact of drilling on the environment there has been low. And they know that their state, unlike many others, enjoys a budget surplus because of the money it earns leasing land to oil companies for drilling. The citizens of the state receive a yearly stipend from that money. It’s one of the only times the government actually gives working people money rather than taking it away from them.

Some people believe the whole argument about oil drilling in Alaska is silly. They contend that it’s an emotional issue, not a rational one. Both sides have become so attached to their opinion that they’re not willing to listen to reason. But there are truths. If one side contends food should be cooked in a freezer, while the other contends food should be cooked in an oven, one side is right and the other is wrong.

Who is wrong and who is right about oil drilling in Alaska? It may never be resolved.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!