Palindrome wrote:
] ] Area: 19 million acres, the size of North Carolina
] ] Home to 45 types of mammal, including polar bear and
] ] caribou, and 180 species of bird
] ] Oil potential: Up to 16 billion barrels
]
] the vote is scheduled later this week

Everyone manages to ignore that ANWR currently only has proven reserves on the order of 4,446 million barrels (2003).* Thus, with the domestic petroleum demand averaging 20.5 million barrels per day in 2004**, this leaves us with ~215 days worth of oil in Alaska which would be AWFULLY FRICKING USEFUL if we ever got cutoff from our precious imports that, coincidentally, supply 56% of our daily consumption today*** and 68% of it by 2025****.

Of course, there's _no_ harm in simply hoping that drilling techniques and technology will magically improve in the somewhat near future and be able to capture that other 11.5 million barrels (which would, again, make hardly ANY dent in fuel flow model since that would only last 4.4 years if we somehow retained a trade deficit of only ~50%). So, we know both that domestic production is falling (exclusive of ANWR)*****, evergreens and permafrost don't like drilling machines, and the Gulf is a shitty place to send troops to protect our gluttonous consumption. What, then, is the solution? Reduce consumption. Luckily, hybrids are taking off despite the fact that Bush persists in phasing out the hybrid tax credit while blowing smoke up the ass of Big Oil under the guise of national security.

{/soapbox}

-janelane

*http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/state/ak.html
**http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html
***http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/
petroleum_supply_monthly/current/pdf/table49.pdf
****http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2005).pdf, p111
*****http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2005).pdf, p109

RE: Senate backs Alaska oil drilling