Accidents do happen on the slope though. There are cases of spills on occasion, and with anything you have to break eggs to get an omelet, so no job has never not had an accident. Accidents are something that comes with any job and in turn make the job even more sophisticated to protect against the reoccurrence. Yet with all the accidents that have happened on the slope I have yet to hear of any that have contaminated a bear or musk ox, or has been catastrophic at all for that matter. The majority of accidents that happen on the slope are from slips, trips, and falls from the workers up here. Not to mention there is a designated company of under worked oil clean-up crews that spend the majority of their days cleaning up drops of oil left from trucks that have been parked.

Bears, musk ox, and caribou aren't stupid, but in fact intelligent for mammals. Bears are becoming very aware that they can eat humans for food, and make attempts at this everywhere in AK. The truth about endangered wildlife is that having road systems, and structures allow caribou and musk ox a better road to travel than the tundra. They have priority here. They have become so used to this priority that it seems they gravitate to these areas for ease of travel on their migratory routes, so big diesel rigs waiting for the wildlife to move on don't even intimidate the musk ox, caribou, geese... To startle an animal such as this would require irrational waving of the hands and running in their general direction I'm sure. Even then, they'd probably look at you for a moment while turning to continue chewing their cud.

Also, the wildlife is peaceful. They don't hang around where work is being done. It's silly to think that a bear would hang out next to a drilling rig. Even then drilling rigs are totally enclosed as well, so the attempts of getting covered with oil aren't looking promising for the bear. I hope I answered your question; it seems my short answer as become a novel.

First, because "ANWR can't supply America's demand we shouldn't produce it at all." Why is this an absurd statement? Let me explain to you. Most environmentalist groups receive their money from oil producing 3rd world countries to pass out propaganda, such as this. Why you say, because they are VERY intelligent when it comes to not biting the hand that feeds -I'll leave it at that.

The people of America (not the rabid tree huggers) have established a government that cares about the environment. I have seen this first hand by working up on the slope, and the many regulations that have to be followed to the T on these oil fields are ridiculous at times, but are also important to everyone that works here. I don't necessarily care for any major oil company; its clear they care about profits but that isn't the issue, environmentally safe is the issue. I can tell you first hand that these oil fields that rape the land and kill the wildlife, has been said by individuals that have never been past the Arctic Circle. Clearly no New York columnist or Green peace multi-car owner has had to miss his flight home after a three month hitch, because hazing of the caribou is not allowed, and they can sleep on the roadways as long as they please. Yet this is beside the point as well.

When people think of drilling, they think of a Hollywood movie like Armageddon where it shows big pipes and muscles and mayhem all at once. This is how they drilled in the 20's, and the mentality of drilling is so far behind in America. Two-inch coil tubing is it. A Geological Engineer controls this coil tubing to go exactly where he wants it in the ground to produce the reservoir only. This reservoir is rock, not a puddle of oil. It was difficult to produce back in the 20's, but with new technology changes were still producing an oil field that was suppose to last only 20 years, with a pipeline (TAPS) that has doubled its life expectancy. Explain that ANWR haters.

There is no harm to the environment in this process. I wouldn't lie, why would I care to, this is the 21st century. Freedom of speech is guaranteed, even way up here where the continental U.S. thinks the opinions don't matter. The truth is: producing a reservoir hundreds of feed below the surface has become an art, and is beautiful to see -for all you art adorers out there. The wildlife has more rights than humans here. If I were to walk out on the tundra I'd be fired for life here. Bears, and Caribou take refuge underneath the buildings here. Pristine waters and tundra as far as the eye can see is all that is here, and it’s nice to enjoy.

Now, this is the biggest point I have to make. Environmentalists are the real destroyers of earth, and I'll tell you why. America, land of opportunity, freedom, and safety for the environment has become hypocrites. We don't have faith in our country, and is evident by giving our money to governments that hate America and hate the environment. We have the technology to drill in the right way, and yet we'll have our oil come from countries that rape the land and are far behind us in the technology age.

Why you say, to save a buck or two, cheaper labor? No, it’s the liberal propaganda that we cannot take care of ourselves as a nation. We need the government to take care of us, and this is evident now with welfare for big American companies that now need the government to save them.

America needs to buck up to the responsibility of taking care of ourselves while waiting for a technological advancement such as: fuel cells (what a novel idea). Lord knows Wall Street needs more non-credited money in the market instead of borrowed money. This is what the thousands of workers (and thousands more to come) will do on the slope. Invest, and hope to retire younger than too old, so they can spend time with their families and loved ones.

All you haters of drilling change the station... be more American, and actively pursue alternative energy sources instead of complain all the time. Do something productive instead of telling us everything we already know about global warming, and the thousands of acres of land that will soon be covered with water. Get the oil companies to blow more coin on the fuel cell. This is the future.