The Senate is considering a budget resolution that would allow for exploration in ANWR. This is vitally important, as CEI explains here. To those worried about the effect on native populations and wildlife, we say this:

There is strong support among Alaskans for opening ANWR; polls consistently show three quarters of Alaskans in support. “Alaskans put a high value on protecting the natural splendors of their state, and they support opening the Coastal Plain because they know that the advanced technology now being used to produce oil will not damage the environment,” said CEI Adjunct Scholar R.J. Smith. “Oil has been pumped at Prudhoe Bay west of ANWR for three decades using 1970s technology and the caribou herd there has increased from 6,000 to 32,000.”

ANWR exploration would supply the equivalent of 30 years’ worth of oil imports from Saudi Arabia. It will make gas more affordable and will enhance energy security. The nation needs the Senate to approve this resolution.