The heart of the spectacular Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is its coastal plain, a 25-mile band of tundra wetlands that provides the most important birthing and nursing ground for Arctic wildlife. But the refuge coastal plain also contains oil, and the Bush administration and Republican congressional leaders have regularly touted drilling the Arctic Refuge's oil as a key to solving America's energy problems. Find the truth here about the character of the refuge, the amount of oil that lies beneath it, the impact that oil development would have on it, and the contribution to American energy needs its oil could make.

Protecting Life on the Coastal Plain
Why destroy America's foremost wildlife refuge for less oil than we consume in a single year?

Oil Development Damages Air, Water and Wildlife
Toxic spills and air pollution from permanent, year-round operations are destroying Alaska's fragile North Slope.

Efficiency Saves More Oil than the Refuge Would Yield
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is a futile, shortsighted approach to reducing America's oil dependency.

Related NRDC Pages
News: Oil and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Policy Reports and Analyses