Quick Facts & Links

• The Arctic Refuge is the only area on Alaska’s North Slope where oil exploration & development are prohibited by law.
• Oil & Gas development is NOT a purpose of the Arctic Refuge (see fact sheet).
• Directional Drilling is not new and its benefits are exaggerated (see fact sheet).
• Seismic exploration harms wildlife and vegetation. 
• Water for ice roads is lacking in the Arctic Refuge.
• The Alpine oil field is no model.  
• The claimed 2,000 acres is a hoax regarding potential oil industry operations in Arctic Refuge.
• So-called Directional Drilling bill poses dangerous Trojan Horse of Development in the Arctic Refuge (see fact sheet).

For More Information, check out these sources:

Clean Energy: The Solution to High Gas Prices  Fact Sheet (NRDC 2008)

Clean Energy: Saves Americans Money  Fact Sheet (NRDC 2008)

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Oil Development Damages Air, Water and Wildlife Fact Sheet (NRDC 2005)

Broken Promises: The Reality of Big Oil in America's Arctic  Report by Pamela A. Miller, prepared for The Wilderness Society (2003)   Proponents of opening the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development consistently argue that oil drilling will not harm the environment of the Arctic Refuge.  They say drilling on Alaska’s North Slope has been clean, and they cite several factors they say will make future development environmentally benign. They profess a commitment to strict environmental regulation, and they assert that new technologies — particularly ice roads and directional drilling — would reduce even further any impact of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  This report assesses those claims by comparing them with the documented impact of past and present North Slope oil development, the industry’s environmental track record at Prudhoe Bay and in the National Petroleum Reserve — Alaska (NPR-A), real technological trends in the oil industry, and other factors. The result is a clear record of broken promises on the North Slope that casts serious doubt on the reassurances being made by drilling proponents and their allies today.

Check out the second edition of Broken Promises: The Reality of Oil Development in America's Arctic by The Wilderness Society (2009)