Cliff Stearns: “opponents of ANWR often hold up a picture of big, grimy, old oil rigs; and they ask this question: Do we want one of…”

“opponents of ANWR often hold up a picture of big, grimy, old oil rigs; and they ask this question: Do we want one of these on our precious wildlife refuges? Of course not, but that is the wrong question. The question should be: Can modern technology allow us to drill in the Arctic with absolutely no impact on the wildlife or plant life there? The answer is a resounding yes. Cutting-edge technology, like horizontal drilling, allows us to reach oil 4 miles away from a surface location. Thirty years ago, it took a 65-acre drill site to slant drill only 3 square miles. Today, a 16-acre drill site can now drill 50 square miles of subsurface. That means that today we can drill 15 times further on a drill site one-fifth the size of what we used when we started developing oil in the Arctic. We no longer build gravel roads in for oil development there. Instead, companies build ice roads that melt away with spring, leaving no hint that they were ever there. Let us use this amazing technology to help stabilize gasoline prices and make this country more self-reliant.”