I think you might be thinking a bit short sighted. Id like to know what your objection to drilling there? What would you be saying if the same resources were in another area? Understand a few things, Alaska takes lots of flak over the federal money that comes here. But the feds hold up Alaska from doing lots of reasonable development because way outside interests influence congress who have little idea of the whole situation.
As for oil being the energy problem. There are a few things you are forgetting or not understanding. On a personal level, I am set to be paying $7 a gallon for gas and 6.50 for diesel when the fuel barge comes in here, on mothers day. Plus I can bring you to a glacier that when I was young, I got my picture taken next to the face of it. That was 25 years ago. That glacier has since receded to 2 full miles since then. It hadnt moved 200 yards in the previous 100 years.
So I know full well the perils of using oil. But here is the bottom line. In my every day life, I need a full size pickup. I have to regularly pull a 22foot skiff, I need 4wd. But there isnt a hybrid on the market that can do what I need it to. PLUS, I dont have the probably $45,000 price tage that comes with it.
We dont have the infastrucure in place for any sort of transition to another fuel source for at best 15 years. Realisitically, oil and gas will be around for another 50 years. Unless there is a major breakthrough in technology. This is not even considering the energy sources people use to heat thier homes.
Ah but the numbers arent full known. Again, ANWR is the key part of opening the point thompson field. ANWR has not been fully explored yet. The numbers you see are on the guaranteed reserves. The potential reserves are much higher. Again, the natual gas is unthinkably large. I hope this graphic will work
Semi-dependant? You dont have a very good grasp on the situation here obviously, but no worries. Native Alaskans have nothing more to do with this than other Alaskans or Americans, we are all equal. You would be surprised how much of a conservationsist stance Alaska natives take. For instance with the proposed Pebble Mine
Pebble Mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And if you think for a minute, that Alaska's needs dont have any effect on you, well you are wrong. Americas needs have much more of an effect on Alaska than vice versa. Imagine what happens if Alaska shut down its fishing industry, its oil industry, its mineral and logging industry went away. Seattle would become a city 2/3 its size.
So tell me, when you create 5,000 jobs directly and indirectly, billions of dollars in tax revenue to local stat and federal levels, and we develop our own resources rather than meddle ourselves into middle eastern politics one more bit than necessary.