As a fifth-year senior in engineering, I have had the singular opportunity to spend two summers working in the oil fields in all of their dirty, middle-of-nowhere glory. The first of these summers I spent in Prudhoe Bay, Ala., which is very much alike ANWR in that both locations are coastal plains and can't be compared to almost any other conditions in the world.
Due to the experience I had there, I am pro-drilling in ANWR.
What would cause an environmental engineer to be in favor of "destroying" the environment? It is not because the oil companies paid me well or because I just don't care. It is because I have been there, seen what really goes on, gotten the privilege of witnessing the reality behind both the pro- and anti-drilling hype.
Most importantly, I found out that miniscule negative impact occurs due to drilling efforts.
The oilfield at Prudhoe Bay is the most environmentally friendly oilfield in the world. Due to environmental restrictions, requirements and fines, it is one of the cleanest places I have ever been. There is a huge emphasis for all employees to recycle as much as possible. Not only is littering not allowed, but it is a cause for being fired.
Every spill of any chemical or substance, regardless of size, must be documented, reported and cleaned up. If something is spilled on the tundra, it is very likely the employee who did it will be fired.
The entire oilfield is on protected land, so the only place oilfield employees are allowed to walk when outside is on gravel pads built specifically to support rigs on unstable permafrost. Narrow gravel roads lead from one pad to the next, just wide enough to allow a couple large trucks to pass each other.
Surrounding these small areas of gravel in all directions is arctic tundra, which is flat, brown grass as far as the eye can see. When the top layers of soil melt, it is then a breeding ground for clouds of giant mosquitoes.
Every effort is made to leave as small of a footprint as possible. And today, due to technological advancements, any oilfields built in northern Alaska would leave an even smaller footprint than the one already in Prudhoe Bay.
Everyone seems to be worried that drilling will harm the animals (caribou, bear, foxes, ox) by making them more accustomed to humans, thus less wild and natural. This doesn't happen.
Not only have the gravel pads and pipeline contributed to an increase in caribou population by allowing them a respite from huge clouds of mosquitoes in the summer and sub-freezing temperatures in the winter, but very little interaction with them actually occurs.
It is illegal to interact with North Slope animals at any time, and this includes approaching, petting and feeding. Even honking your horn as the herds of thousands of caribou meander across the gravel roads is deemed harassment and thus not allowed. These same rules would be applied if any drilling were to occur in ANWR.
Since my original internship on the North Slope, I have been amazed by the misinformation spread about drilling in ANWR. Every report I have read about the concerns with drilling in Northern Alaska and ANWR is focuses mainly on the potential negative effects on the ecosystem that introducing drilling will cause. To date, I have yet to see overwhelming proof that these concerns have been substantiated.
Finally, in response to reports that say drilling in Area 1002 will do little to relieve America's dependence on foreign oil, I have two things to say. First, drilling for oil is an art and a science, so we will never know how much oil is truly there unless extensive exploration is allowed; and, finally, every little bit counts.
-Becca Burns is a senior in biological and agricultural engineering. During the summer of 2007 she worked the Prudhoe Bay oil fields as an intern for Schumberger. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
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