The Arctic National wildlife Refuge (ANWR) , located on the Alaska North Slope, is believed to contain high petroleum production potential. This region also has outstanding wildlife and wilderness values. Currently ANWR is closed to oil and gas leasing. However, Congress is considering an Interior Department recommendation to open a portion of ANWR to oil and gas production. Environmentalists maintain that petroleum exploration and development will have severe environmental effects on the calving activities of one of the largest caribou herds in the Arctic, negative impacts on the peregrine falcon, lesser snow goose, and muskox populations, as well as other detrimental environmental consequences. A draft study by the Interior Department [...]
