The debate over drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge is an intensely debated topic in America today. Proponents of oil drilling believe that the oil in the refuge will solve the high price of gasoline, but they don't even know how much oil the refuge contains and how much oil we use each year in the United States. Drilling in ANWR will seriously damage the wildlife refuge and its environment. It would take years to obtain the oil through drilling and so far there is no evidence that drilling would actually produce enough oil to meet our country's needs. Another reason for not drilling in the refuge is that the reserve is held when our country is in a national emergency, or until there is no oil left due to its rapid decline in its availability. How did you feel when the Gulf of Mexico oil spill occurred just a year ago? This event destroyed the environment in the Gulf and millions of innocent animals died because of our mistakes. If drilling in ANWR is allowed, we could face exactly the same circumstances again. These are the reasons why oil drilling in the national refuge should not be allowed. Would you like to see a repeat of the devastating event that took place in the Gulf of Mexico? If we were allowed to drill in the refuge, it would only take one more such malfunction and the environment of this refuge would be damaged for years. “Most important of all are the more than 130,000 caribou of the Porcupine herd...these caribou are at the heart of environmentalists' arguments against drilling” (McCarthy). The reason these specific animals do not warrant drilling is that caribou migrate to the plains, where drilling...... middle of paper ...... table results are other reasons why drilling is not done. take place. Finally, the reserve should be preserved until the country is in more desperate need of oil than it currently is, such as in a national emergency, or even until it no longer needs oil. there is more oil to exploit. Playing it safe and not drilling is the smart thing to do because oil drilling in ANWR does not result in any positive outcomes. Works Cited Gelb, Bernard A. "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)." Almanac of political questions. Congressional Research Service, August 28, 2002. Web. May 9, 2011.McCarthy, Terry. “War for Arctic Oil – TIME.” Latest News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Videos, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Cable News Network, February 11, 2001. Web. May 9, 2011. “ANWR drilling debate begins again.” » ENewsUSA. ENewsUSA, March 2, 2009. Web. May 9 2011.