Environmentalists decry Alaskan drilling

Though most of the controversy over Alaskan oil drilling focuses on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, other parts of the state have garnered attention due to proposed drilling in the area.

Now, environmentalists and oil companies are fighting over the National Petroleum Reserve in northern Alaska.

A division of the U.S. Department of the Interior gave permission Nov. 12 to the energy company ConocoPhillips to drill for oil in the area.

The international energy company can set up two oil production pads inside the 23.5 million-acre reserve, according to a press release from the Bureau of Land Management.

Many environmentalists are upset about the decision.

"We believe that critical areas need to be protected, such as the millions and millions of waterfowl near the proposed drilling areas," said Melinda Pierce, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club.

"Drilling companies in Prudhoe Bay have displaced wildlife. And over the past decade, they have averaged over 400 spills a year."

She said the Bush administration used previous drilling in Alaska's Alpine region to justify the new drilling, adding that the former site is "environmentally sound and technologically advanced."

"The problem is that the proposed drilling sites in the NPR-A don't stick to that precedent," she said.

But government officials are not worried about any problems arising.

"We have all kinds of plans if a spill were to occur, and the sites were chosen for the least amount of biological impact," said Jody Weil, a public affairs specialist for the Department of the Interior.

"There are a number of stipulations in the agreement to protect the environment, and if a spill were to occur, then the drilling company would be responsible for all clean-up efforts."

According to the BLM press release, several changes from the original proposal were made to protect wildlife, including a demand that all pipelines be built seven feet off the ground - instead of the standard five feet - in order to protect migrating caribou.

Also, all roads and production platforms must be at least three miles from Fish Creek, a haven for wildlife in the area.

But Pierce said the Sierra Club, along with other environmental groups, doesn't believe these precautions are good enough.

"We want to raise awareness about this drilling, since it is often eclipsed by drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," she said. "We want to educate people about this really aggressive oil campaign."

While the possibility of environmental damage still looms, some experts are thrilled about the prospect of producing American oil.

"We have been importing an incredible volume of our oil, primarily from Middle Eastern countries," said Poe Leggette, a partner at the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski.

"By opening up Alaska to drilling, we would decrease our dependence on foreign oil. We would keep oil prices down to reasonable level and it would help to create jobs at home."

But Leggette said the oil will not reach the American market for at least five to seven years from the beginning of the lease.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.