Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

This appeared in Akron Beacon Journal:

Republicans in Congress have renewed efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. They are seeking to use the federal budget as their vehicle, and they have the support of the Trump White House.

The last time they made such a bid, they failed a dozen years ago. Little has changed since, the refuge still a national treasure, worthy of protection as wilderness, its preservation part of the obligation of one generation to the next.

The budget plan approved by the Senate last week calls for raising an additional $1 billion during the next decade through the leasing of federal lands.

The first step in drilling activity involves seismic studies to determine the potential for oil and gas production. Would companies jump to launch evaluations? With oil at roughly $50 per barrel, they probably would stay away, according to many analysts.

More, David Yarnold of the National Audubon Society recently told the Washington Post that the federal government would likely collect just $9 million in auctioning drilling rights on the coastal plain.

If the numbers don’t work, and thus the promises of jobs and growth, what is the rush? Better yet, why disrupt these precious lands under any circumstances?