Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be Opened to Oil Drilling?

Yes

No

1. The proceeds from drilling could dramatically lower the price of oil, leading to another economic boom.
2. It would lessen our dependence on foreign oil, especially in the Middle East.
3. Drilling could easily be done without disrupting the refuge or damaging the environment.
4. It would dramatically help the economy and the people of Alaska.
5. The drilling and land development would create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
6. Alternative energy sources are the future, but for right now they're too expensive and underdeveloped; oil from ANWR could help fuel the world economy in the meantime.
7. Every dollar we spend on oil from the Middle East, Russia, and Venezuela only strengthens the communists and terrorists trying to harm the United States.

1. It takes the focus off the real cause of the oil shortage -- our excessive consumption.
2. A wildlife refuge could be disturbed by humans, with animal lives possibly changed in the process.
3. The drilling may not yield much of anything.
4. It could take years or decades before any significant amount of oil is ready for use.
5. The reserve can be saved as a last resort decades from now when we've exhausted other supplies.