How Long Would Oil In ANWAR Last?
If you have been paying attention to the ANWR debate, you may be wondering how long would oil in ANWAR last? Well, the answer to that question is a lot more complicated than you may think.
You see, in order to determine how long would oil in ANWAR last, one would first have to know if there is any oil; how much oil there is; and how quickly can companies extract it. In short, nobody really knows the answer to this question. Since the amount of oil contained in this area is largely speculative, any other questions relating to this topic are also based upon educated guesses. In fact, those that are educated enough to make such guesses happen to be geologists, and even they aren’t entirely sure.
That said, the Energy Department estimates that there are around 10.4 billion barrels within the last untapped resource that Alaska has to offer. However, this estimate is only 95 percent accurate, and even if it were right on the nose (so to speak), there is a chance that only 5.7 barrels could be recovered. Presently, the United States uses approximately 21 million barrels of oil per day. If those estimated 10.4 billion barrels could all be retrieved, this would last up to twenty seven years. Then again, this is all a lot of guesswork.
Now that you have some idea as to how long would oil in ANWAR last, you can begin to figure out whether or not drilling in this area is a smart move. Those that believe this type of exploration would head off the ensuing gas prices are delusional, since those hypothetical 10.4 billion barrels would barely make up for the amount of domestic crude that is currently being lost. In short, the only people that would benefit from this type of exploration are the explorers themselves (namely, large oil companies).
So, the question is: is drilling within a protected wildlife refuge really worth it for the 10.4 billion barrels that we may, or may not, see? Well, that answer is largely up to you (and to the government), though you can be sure that Alaska’s untapped lands will become a thing of the past relatively soon.
No matter what you may hear, there is no telling how long would oil in ANWAR last. Remember, any type of estimate is a guess, though the environmental impact that drilling would cause is certain.