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For Immediate Release
Don't Believe the Hype - More Oil Drilling Won't Lower Gas Prices
Statement of Rodger Schlickeisen, President, Defenders of Wildlife
"As regular as the coming of summer, the recent rise in gas prices has spurred renewed calls for more oil drilling in some of America’s most special places, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This time the Bush administration and its allies in the House are cynically using the spike in gas prices to stage an election-year political stunt and push their pro-drilling agenda. But claims that more drilling, especially in the Refuge, will solve our nation’s energy woes simply do not add up.
"OPEC and the oil and gas companies are primarily responsible for the surge in gas prices. But instead of taking concrete steps to hold these parties accountable, the Bush administration is using the price surge at the pump as an excuse to tear down key environmental protections and hand over more of our nation’s public lands to their friends in the oil and gas industries.
"We are never going to be able to drill our way to lower gas prices or to energy independence. While America consumes 25 percent of the world’s oil, only 3 percent of it can be found under US soil. Opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling won’t make a difference. A recent Energy Information Administration study, requested by drilling proponents, indicates that even if the Arctic Refuge were opened to drilling today, our nation would still be importing more than 60 percent of our oil, only 3 percent less than if the Refuge remained protected. Controlling supply as it does, OPEC can – and does – set oil prices wherever it wants them. Indeed, the same EIA study states that OPEC would likely offset any potential price impact of oil from the Arctic Refuge by reducing its exports. Even the US Geological Survey has determined that the Arctic Refuge would likely produce only six months worth of oil, which oil executives themselves admit wouldn’t even reach market for another ten years.
"America needs a comprehensive energy plan for the future, not calculated election-year political stunts that do nothing to address our energy needs. And we certainly don’t need to hear the same old discounted arguments for drilling in America’s most pristine wilderness areas."
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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 475,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.
