On March 16, the U.S. Senate voted 51-49 to go ahead with drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

I saw on television (amazingly there was actual relevant information coming across a television screen; I nearly choked in surprise) a female senator claiming the oil to be found in ANWR would cover the same amount as 25 years of Saudi Arabian imports.

Its hardly relevant to only consider only Saudi Arabian oil imports, but since the senator wishes to do so lets look at some facts and do some simple math. Firstly, we have only a rough idea of how much oil is in ANWR. Current estimates list it at 5.6 to 16 billion barrels, according to CNN and other various websites. Assuming this is accurate information, we can assume the actual amount is probably somewhere around 10.8 billion barrels, an average of the two estimates. America consumes approximately 21 million barrels of oil each day. In January, we imported 1.6 million barrels daily from Saudi Arabia, or 584 million barrels annually. This means the number is in reality closer to 18.5 years of Saudi Arabian imports. However, this is flawed for two reasons. American oil consumption increased more than ever in 2004, and taking into account an ever increasing population with ever increasing demands for energy and an ever decreasing sense of reality it is obvious that the real number is much less than that. Second, there is no guarantee that Saudi Arabian imports will remain steady. In fact, if recent trends are an indicator, they are already decreasing. Yea, I know, Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah met and promised us that Saudi Arabia can increase its imports…I’ll believe it when I see it (clasped hands notwithstanding). On top of all this, it will take 10 years for the first drop of Alaskan oil to find its way into our cars, homes, food, and virtually every other aspect of our daily lives. Also, keep in mind the amount of money and energy that will be used to build the infrastructure for this project. Think of the pipelines, roads, and refineries that will have to be built. Is it worth it?

It might sound fancy to say that there are billions of barrels just waiting to be pumped, or whatever other rhetoric the politicians will throw out to give the public the illusion that drilling in ANWR is going to do anything to decrease America’s oil addiction. Keeping the big picture in mind, at current consumption rates there is approximately enough oil in Alaska for 514 days (1.4 years) of supply, if we were solely relying on ANWR. All we are looking at here is more momentary satiation. Sooner or later it is inevitable that we move away from hydrocarbons and begin incorporating other sources of energy into our lives, nothing less than the survival of our society depends on it. John Kerry, whom I voted for without much confidence or hope, did have some words that actually made sense (amongst politicians, a rare feat). He said, “Drilling is not the answer, invention is.” Sounds good, John, but talk is cheap…lets see some action.