Abstract This paper describes what the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge actually is. It covers the pros and cons of drilling for oil in the refuge from political, economical, religious perspectives. It gives the writer's opinion on the topic, which is NOT to drill in the refuge. It then gives alternative ideas to drilling and backs them up with facts from credible sources like the U.S. Geological Survey.
From the Paper "An environmental masterpiece to be preserved, or an economic opportunity waiting to be tapped? This is the debate that has been persistent around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for over 40 years. It is also a mainstream argument for many environmental philosophies. Pro-drilling advocates tend to take on Judeo-Christian beliefs, while anti-drilling organizations stick with conservation or preservationist values. These two groups portray their views over the internet using many types of representation, false or not, to convince readers their position is correct. Both sides have their pros and cons, but my opinion on the topic is that drilling for oil in the ANWR is a poor idea due to inevitable environmental complications."
The paper attempts to show that exploitation of Alaskan oil and gas reserves would be detrimental to the environment of the region and, effectively, destroy it.
Abstract The author of the paper contends that, as energy costs continue to increase, many Americans are facing harsh realities at the gas pump. The paper's writer says that enormous resources available in Alaska appear to represent a short-term solution to this growing demand for oil and gas. The paper's author contends, however, that the unique qualities of the environmentally fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are endangered by such exploitation. To determine what both sides have to say about this issue, the author of this paper provides a review of the peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning further exploitation of Alaska's oil and gas reserves and its concomitant environmental impact, followed by a summary of the research and the authors findings in the conclusion.
From the Paper "The existing protections that are in place are no accident, though. The legislation that set aside the wilderness and refuge areas of Alaska are the deliberate result of the U.S. government's decision to keep oil and gas development out of the ANWR specifically to preserve the region's wilderness. According to Stanke, "In 1960, Fred Seaton, as Interior Secretary for the Eisenhower administration, designated 8.9 million acres in the northeastern corner of Alaska the Arctic National Wildlife Range -- a sanctuary for wildlife and wilderness conservation" (Stanke 905). As Grover points out, Interior Secretary Seaton's 1960 withdrawal order clearly stated the purposes for which the new wildlife range was to be managed: preserving the 'unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values' of the region" (1169). During the period 1960 and 1979, the U.S. Department of the Interior managed the Range in a fashion that was congruent with the intent of this statement in spite of the vast natural resources discovered near Prudhoe Bay (Grover 1169). According to Weaver and Asmus (2006), the Prudhoe Bay oil field is the largest oil field in the United States. Not surprisingly, these resources have attracted a great deal of attention from commercial interests, but Stanke notes that the fact that the Refuge exists at all is not a matter of chance or luck, but rather is the ". . . deliberate result of United States wilderness-preservation policy in place since the 1950s" (Stanke 906)."
Abstract This paper examines the debate over oil drilling in Alaska. It suggests that it is not necessary even given current and possibly future gas shortages in America. It gives various reasons to the adverse affect of using Alaskan oil reserves including the Exxon Valdez incident, the development of supplementary energy sources, and environmental issues.
From the paper:
"As gas prices have risen over the past year, the term "crisis" has been tossed around a great deal, suggesting a number of different possibilities. Among these: Americans may soon run out of gas, Americans may soon be paying five or ten dollars per gallon, and the American will stall utterly if there is not enough cheap gas available. In fact, of course, none of these speculations is true. What is true, and what will be discussed in this paper, is that these higher gas prices are indeed a wake-up call to Americans that something must be done to change our expectations about where our energy will be coming from in the next century."
Tags: environment, energy, Exxon-Valdez, fuel, oil, fuel, prices, energy
This paper examines the ongoing debate between those who support the oil industry and those who wish to protect the Alaskan coastal plains from being drilled in search of oil.
Abstract This paper summarizes the argument against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the basis of damage that would be caused to the environment and the wildlife inhabiting the region. The topic is connected to the events of September 11th which nearly allowed the Republicans to push through an emergency Energy Security Bill, allowing for the extraction of oil from the ANWR.
From the Paper "In the past 10 months many people have claimed that the world as we knew it a year ago has been profoundly and irreversibly transformed with the events of September 11th, 2001. Others have attacked these claims as being yet another example of American ethnocentrism and egocentricity: the world has not changed, the USA simply got a taste of reality. However, whether the United States was living in a sheltered state of denial in which true poverty, destruction and war never found a home on its shores, or whether the world truly has changed entirely, is a subject for a different debate and a different paper."
Abstract The paper analyses the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which occurred on March 24, 1989. The paper examines the environmental concerns of the oil spill, Exxon Valdez being the largest ship ever built for the world's largest oil company. The writer explains that it was not only an industrial accident, but a "technological and organizational disaster" as well. The paper further analyzes the public relations disaster that followed, and concludes that had the crisis been handled differently, Exxon's reputation might well have been enhanced, rather than damaged.
From the Paper "The industry's insistence on having its own way regarding the regulation of the Valdez tanker trade, and the government's incremental accession to industry pressure, culminated into a disastrous system failure (Details pp). The general public reacted with anger over the environmental damage and the mar upon the Alaskan wilderness (Details pp). The Exxon spill remains on the list of the world's largest oil spills during the past twenty-five years, and has come to be seen as the nation's largest environmental disaster, since Three Mile Island (Details pp)."
Abstract The paper is an endeavor to disseminate the truth from the differing opinions relating to an oil spill and environmental disaster. The paper examines the claims made that the fisheries that were destroyed when the ship Exxon Valdez spilled its oil into the Prince William Sound, have completely recovered.
Outline:
Introduction
Exxon's Shame
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Report
Alaska Fisheries Science Center Report
Conclusions Drawn from the Review of Literature
From the Paper "A report published by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center entitled: "The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: How Much Oil Remains" states that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound "released a minimum of 1.1 million gallons of Alaska crude oil into one of the largest and most productive estuaries in North America." (Short, Rice and Lindeberg, 2001) Studies conducted since that time, specifically a study in 1993 returned estimates stating that "7m of shore line were still contaminated with subsurface oil." (Short, Rice and Lindeberg, 2001) Monitoring that has been ongoing in nature has determined that by 1999 "oil was surprisingly persistent and often in relatively unweathered state, containing high concentrations of toxic and biologically available polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)." (Short, Rice and Lindeberg, 2001) Moreover, "fauna from higher tropic levels such as sea otters and sea ducks still have not recovered." (Short, Rice and Lindeberg, 2001) Public concern led the 2001 assessment of the shorelines of Prince William Sound. The following table relates the summary of the sampling effort in this assessment."
Abstract The paper provides a report for the people of Fairbanks Alaska regarding earthquakes. The paper looks at why Alaska has so many earthquakes and concludes that another is inevitable It also looks at options for minimizing the damage caused by earthquakes.
From the Paper "Earthquakes are usually connected with fault lines. Fault lines are areas in which tectonic plates are moving more frequently then other areas(Hobbs 272). Although techonic plates are moving everywhere they are usually not moving fast enough for anyone to realize. Earthquakes occur when techonic plates achieve a high enough velocity to cause the ground to actually shake."
Abstract This paper describes the stalemate America faces in trying to find a solution to being dependent on oil from the Arab world. The author traces the history and background of this problem, and cites the end of the 1973 oil embargo as the reason that no serious research has continued in this field. The paper additionally shows how oil pricing is high and further outlines the causes of Western dependency on oil. Also analyzed is the connection between oil dependency, the increased energy needs of emerging nations and the environment. The author concludes with a call for more research and public awareness of the issue of oil dependency.
Outline:
Introduction and Background
Genesis, Continuation and Increasing of Problem
Attempted Solutions
Evidence for the Problems of High Oil Price
Causes
Effects
Solutions
Conclusion
Table "U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices"
From the Paper "Solutions to the ongoing and continually-increasing problem of oil dependency could still be reached; if the political will and commitment were to truly exist (and in the opinion of this author, it currently does not). No real solution is viable without that. Oil lobbies would need to lose their grip on Washington politicians, which would even conceivably happen only if a groundswell of citizenry were to threaten to "un-elect" the career politicians supported, politically and sometimes, at least to an extent, personally (trips; favors) by various big oil interests."
Tags:oil, OPEC, United, States, Arab, world, petroleum, dependency, alternative, energy, sources
Abstract This paper discusses the article 'China's Rising Demand for Oil and Pipelines Has Worldwide Implications?'by Gordon Feller. It applies macroeconomic theory to oil as a commodity product in China where oil and other petroleum products, as well as coal, have become a major source of energy production. The paper discusses the opinion expressed in the article that this development in terms of world oil markets, the petroleum industry and the fact that China has great potential to affect the world oil industry either positively or negatively.
From the Paper "In the article "China's Rising Demand for Oil and Pipelines Has Worldwide Implications," Gordon Feller discusses the unexpected negative impact that the ascendancy of China's economy into a major global economy has had on international markets. For years companies all over the globe and especially in the West have viewed China as an emerging market with vast potential for increasing sales for many years to come. Yet, most analysts seemed to overlook the fact that China's economy was expanding for a reason and that its emerging modern infrastructure and middle-class population with greater income levels would have the same energy demands as any other developed nation: China's rapid economic expansion makes it one of the largest energy-consuming nations with demand growth continuing to surge."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the oil industry. The paper reports that the history of the oil industry dates back to the earliest civilizations of the Middle East. According to the paper, there are inscriptions, that originated from Mesopotamia, describing the use of oil from as far back as 4000 B.C.E. The paper also reports that in the United States, the invention of the kerosene lamp led to the formation of the first American oil company, Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1854.
From the Paper "The development of the oil industry also took place in many countries outside of the United States. For example, Canada's first oil boom occurred in Ontario in 1867 and in 1947, the great Leduc field near Edmonton, Alberta, was discovered which soon led to Canada becoming an important contributor to the oil industry. In Mexico, oil production began on a commercial scale around 1918 which made Mexico the second-largest oil producer of the early 20th century. Of course, in 1901, one of the first concessions for oil production was granted in Iran and when huge oil reserves were discovered in 1908, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company came into existence and was soon replaced by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1914. "
Abstract This paper reviews the relationships between OPEC crude oil production levels, Canadian crude oil prices, and Canadian crude oil consumption. The paper includes a regression analyses applied to relevant data to assess the effects of OPEC production.
From the Paper "Poor discipline among the member states of OPEC together with increased production in non-OPEC oil exporting states compromised OPEC's ability to dictate world crude oil prices. The organization, however, continues to play a highly important role in the world crude oil market..."
Abstract This paper looks at every aspect of the oil industry in the Persian Gulf, using United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the specific case study to examine the affects of oil production and its transportation on the environment in the UAE.
The Table of Contents:
Introduction
Nature of Drilling in the United Arab Emirates
The Political and Social Organization of the United Arab Emirates
History of the UAE as a Nation-State
The Geography of the Persian Gulf as a Whole
Temperature, Climate, and Topography of the Land
The Ecological History of the Persian Gulf
Pollution Related to Oil Production and Transportation
Strategies for Improvement
Steps Being Taken
Steps to Take
Conclusions
From the Paper "This does not mean that accidents are not of any concern of the UAE. There is a recognition significant future potential for oil-related accidents. The danger from oil spills is a worldwide problem and the Gulf presents a uniquely challenging environmental situation. There is a high level of traffic through the waters of the UAE by oil tankers and other shipping rigs. Since the Gulf War of 1991, the waters of the UAE have suffered from a number of significant oil spills within the country's recent historical, collective memory. Most of these spills were accidental but the intentional release of Kuwaiti oil by the Iraqis at the end of the War raised serious concerns within the borders of the UAE as to the potential for spilling oil as a war-related tactic. This act gained the attention of all of the Gulf States, convincing them that they should take immediate steps to prevent damage from oil spills in the future. In this case, the political instability of the region acted as a "wake up" call to all of the Gulf nations. (Zeitoun and Goudsouzian, 2001: 150) The most recent spill occurred when an Iraqi tanker called the Zainab, a container ship smuggling Iraqi crude, sank in April of 2001. It was carrying over one million gallons of Iraqi fuel and 300 tons of fuel oil when it sank off the port of Jebel Ali, south of Dubai. (Zeitoun and Goudsouzian, 2001: 150) The spill spread oil along the Sharjah, Dubai, and Ajam coast. Beaches were fouled, and local Ajmani authorities closed the emirate's main desalination water plant as a precaution against pollution. This caused significant water shortages. (Zeitoun and Goudsouzian, 2001: 150; "Gulf Tanker Spill Under Control": MSNBC.COM)"
Abstract This paper discusses and compares the use of oil revenues in various oil-rich Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain and Abu Dhabai. The paper studies how the various countries fund -- or chose not to fund -- social welfare programs. The paper examines how the use of oil revenues impact issues of state ownership over social welfare programs, as well as political and religious tensions.
Tags:oil, rentier states, OPEC, Middle East, social welfare
Abstract The paper researches the potential effects on the American economy of high crude oil prices in 2004. The paper discusses the dependence on oil for energy purposes and describes the energy problems in the U.S. and the world at large, including crude oil prices. The paper illustrates the effect on the American economy.
From the Paper "High crude oil prices and in turn high prices for refined products, are the source of worries about the economy in the fall of 2004. The world's dependence on energy sources, most of which are not located in areas where they are consumed, causes the locations of world energy reserves to be as crucial a concern as are the energy surplus and deficit characteristics of the various international regions."
Abstract This paper discusses the Gulf Oil takeover by Chevron. The paper discusses the climate leading up to the takeover and the consequences of the takeover.
