Zoom-Zoom
Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was finally approved.
The Enviro-Nuts continue their caterwauling: Alaska will be destroyed, the pristine nature of ANWR will be destroyed, caribou will be destroyed, mosquitoes will be dest . . .
(The Enviro-Nuts really didn't mention mosquitoes but in the spirit of total disclosure, since I'm in Florida I'm for anything that kills 'em.)
So how much of Alaska will actually be affected by drilling in ANWR?
This is Alaska . . .
The 'yellow' shown on the left is ANWR only. The 'yellow' on the right shown for comparison purposes only, is THE ENTIRE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA!
Now, let us look at ANWR itself . . .
Also clearly shown in the above image is the area inside the Coastal Plain where the drilling will occur.
Stop squinting. I said stop!
This should make it easier for you.
Excellent!
That's the entire surface area (2000 acres or 3.13 square miles) that will be used for drilling in ANWR.
"But it's pristine!" the Enviro-Nuts squawk.
Of course, they've never been there themselves. Not that I blame 'em any. I don't 'do' hellholes, myself.
But in 2001, NRO's Jonah Goldberg did.
Later: The source for the maps I used is ANWR.org.
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posted by doyle at 6:53 PM
3 Comments:
Confession: I'm one of those Enviro-Nuts you mentioned (like I have to tell you that) but I'm also someone who wants the facts ... although my opinion does tend to lean rather sharply to the left, especially when it comes to environmental issues. Hell, I even hate the fact that I'm right handed. Goldberg's article was excellent, though, and well worth reading. Thanks for posting it, DD. I especially loved his comment The mosquitoes are not fast flyers, but if you stand still they swarm around you like senators spotting a TV camera. LOL!
Now, I must rush off to my meeting of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Pygmey Spider Monkeys. :-)
Goldberg's good. I don't remember when I first read this particular piece but I remembered it and knew I had to find it again after I saw the map. (I then ripped off the map and chopped it up).
After years of disinformation thats when it all came together, especially how small the drilling area is when I saw it noted as just over 3 square miles.
Truthfully, I sat here with my mouth hanging open because for the first time I could put it into perspective. Less than from here to Winn Dixie (a grocery store I shop at frequently) then over to the L'il Champ, next the high school and then home again?
Sheesh!
Having lived for a while in Alaska and hunted along the pipeline right of way I can tell you that the pipeline did some damage to the Alaska environment..but so what? It is just a matter of priorities..humans have been in conflict with the earth's environment every since we humans decided to live in a hut and grow corn and raise goats instead of eating berries and spearing rats.
If in fact there is/was a creator I figure same gave humans one thing that she did not give the rest of the fauna..a brain that is capable of changing the environment to fit our needs. And I figure that once humans have managed to destroy ourselves the earth will recover and humans will start the process to self destruction all over again..but in the meantime I sure would like to see the price of energy stabilize..hell, if I just knew that it was gonna be five bucks a gallon and stay that way for a few years at least I would know how much I would need to buy fuel for a trip...now it is just a wild assed guess..
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