Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed? - 2008 Election - ProCon.org

Explore Pros & Cons of Controversial Issues

2008 Election

Last updated on: 6/2/2009 8:33:00 AM PST

Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?

Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found.

Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.

(Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party; black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria.)

Democratic Party

Republican Party

3rd Parties / Independents

Con

Obama, Barack

McCain, John

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst)

Barr, Bob (Lib)

Inactive Candidates

Additional Resources

Candidate Summary Chart

Con

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn)

Nader, Ralph (Ind)

_____________________________________________

Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst) - Pro

Chuck Baldwin, Founder and Minister of the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL, issued the following statement through his Communications Director, Mary Starrett, in an Aug. 11, 2008 email to ProCon.org:

"We call attention to the continuing need of these United States for a sufficient supply of energy for national security and for the immediate adoption of a policy of free market solutions to achieve energy independence for these United States. We call for abolishing the Department of Energy...

...If I become President of these United States, we will see to it that the Department of Energy will be eviscerated. Ending the Department of Energy will take the Federal government out of the oil business, out of the energy business. We will untap vast reserves that reside under soil of Alaska... We do not need OPEC [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]... We can, simply by getting the government out of the way, have resurgence, a surplus of energy in this country."
Aug. 11, 2008 Chuck Baldwin

Barr, Bob (Lib) - Pro

Bob Barr, former US House Representative (R-GA), in a July 24, 2008 press release titled "Bob Barr Statement on Energy and Global Warming" on his official candidate website:

"The U.S. has large deposits of petroleum, oil shale, and natural gas. Barriers to their development in the Outer Continental Shelf, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and other federal lands should be lowered or eliminated, which would provide Americans with a more secure source of energy over the short term and help bring down today's high prices, which are causing such economic hardship to so many Americans."
July 24, 2008 Bob Barr

McCain, John (R) - Con

John McCain, US Senator (R-AZ), voted No on the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3132) "To create jobs for Americans, to reduce dependence on foreign sources of crude oil and energy, to strengthen the economic self determination of the Inupiat Eskimos and to promote national security" on Apr. 16, 2002:

"SEC. 1902. DEFINITIONS.
(1) COASTAL PLAIN.--The term 'Coastal Plain' means that area identified as such in the map entitled 'Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,' dated August 1980, as referenced in section 1002(b) of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (16 USC. 3142(b)(1)), comprising approximately 1,549,000 acres, and as legally described in appendix I to part 37 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations...

SEC. 1903. LEASING PROGRAM FOR LANDS WITHIN THE COASTAL PLAIN.

(a) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary shall take such actions as are necessary--

(1) to establish and implement in accordance with this title a competitive oil and gas leasing program under the Mineral Leasing Act (30 USC. 181 et seq.) that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain."
Apr. 16, 2002 "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge amendment" (S.AMDT.3132) 50 KB

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn) - Con

Cynthia McKinney, former US House Representative (D-GA), wrote in a Dec. 4, 2001 letter to President George W. Bush:

"Most notably has been your Administration's push to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration. I agree with your statement when you noted that we need to decrease our dependency on foreign oil supplies in order to guarantee our energy security. However, I vehemently disagree that drilling in ANWR is the solution to this problem. The US Geological Survey estimates that oil recovered from the Arctic Refuge would amount to less than a six-month supply for American consumers and would not be available for another 10 years."
Dec. 4, 2001 Cynthia McKinney

Nader, Ralph (Ind) - Con

Ralph Nader, attorney, author, and political activist, stated in a Feb. 24, 2004 news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC:

"No drilling in ANWR, the Arctic refuge. What we should do is nail the corporate executives in Detroit to liberate their engineers so they can improve fuel efficiency. One mile per gallon over the entire range of motor vehicle production will save more fuel than anything that can be gotten five, 10 years from now from the Arctic refuge."
Feb. 24, 2004 Ralph Nader

Obama, Barack(D) - Con

Barack Obama, US Senator (D-IL), stated in an article titled "Presidential Candidates Views on ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]: The Democrats" on anwr.org (accessed Oct. 24, 2007):

"I strongly reject drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because it would irreversibly damage a protected national wildlife refuge without creating sufficient oil supplies to meaningfully affect the global market price or have a discernable impact on US energy security."
Oct. 24, 2007 Barack Obama

INACTIVE CANDIDATES

(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear
below in black and white and in alphabetical order by party.)

Democratic Party				Republican Party				3rd Parties / Independents
	Biden, Joe (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	Con			Brownback, Sam (Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007)	None Found			Gravel, Mike (Withdrew on May 27, 2008)	Con
	Clinton, Hillary (Suspended campaign on June 7, 2008)	Con			Gilmore, Jim (Withdrew on July 14, 2007)	None Found			Imperato, Daniel (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	Pro
	Dodd, Chris (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	Con			Giuliani, Rudy (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	Not Clearly Pro or Con			Keyes, Alan (No longer met criteria on June 23, 2008)	Pro
	Edwards, John (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	Con			Huckabee, Mike (Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2008)	Pro			Kubby, Steve (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	Con
	Kucinich, Dennis (Withdrew on Jan. 25, 2008)	Con			Hunter, Duncan (Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2008)	Pro			McEnulty, Frank (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	Con
	Richardson, Bill (Withdrew on Jan. 10, 2008)	Con			Paul, Ron (Withdrew on June 12, 2008)	Pro			Smith, Christine (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	Not Clearly Pro or Con
	Vilsack, Tom (Withdrew on, Feb. 23, 2007)	None Found			Romney, Mitt (Withdrew on Feb. 7, 2008)	Pro
					Tancredo, Tom (Withdrew on Dec. 20, 2007)	Pro
					Thompson, Fred (Withdrew on Jan. 22, 2008)	Pro
					Thompson, Tommy (Withdrew on Aug. 12, 2007)	None Found

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Biden, Joe (D) - Con

Joe Biden, US Senator (D-DE), had the following voting record on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

Voted Yes on "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) to prevent consideration of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from budget bill.

Mar. 2003 "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) 5 KB

Voted No on "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133), to drill ANWR on national security grounds.

Apr. 2002 "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133) 120 KB

Voted No on the "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955), to preserve a budget for ANWR oil drilling, Apr. 2000.

Apr. 2000 "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955) 4 KB

Brownback, Sam (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Clinton, Hillary (D) - Con

Hillary Clinton, US Senator (D-NY), stated in an article titled "Protecting America's Natural Heritage" on her US Senate website (accessed Oct. 17, 2007):

"Protecting America's vast environmental treasures, such as our National Parks, National Forests, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, is a bipartisan tradition stretching back to Teddy Roosevelt. These special places are part of our natural - and our national - heritage.
I have strongly supported protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic Refuge is part of what makes our country unique, beautiful and precious. During my time in the Senate, I have worked to ensure that the Arctic Refuge will not be opened to unnecessary development. I am an original cosponsor of legislation that would protect the refuge by designating it as a protected wilderness area. In addition, I have voted against opening the refuge to drilling at every opportunity during my time in the Senate. Drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge is bad environmental policy, and it is bad energy policy. It would take ten years of drilling in the Arctic Refuge to roduce oil. We do not need to despoil an environmental treasure on a gamble for oil where the odds of finding significant supplies are remote."
Oct. 17, 2007 Hillary Clinton

Dodd, Chris (D) - Con

Chris Dodd, US Senator (D-CT), had the following voting record on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

Voted Yes on "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) to prevent consideration of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from budget bill.

Mar. 2003 "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) 5 KB

Voted No on "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133), to drill ANWR on national security grounds.

Apr. 2002 "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133) 120 KB

Voted No on the "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955), to preserve a budget for ANWR oil drilling, Apr. 2000.

Apr. 2000 "Roth Amendment" (S.AMDT.2955) 4 KB

Edwards, John (D) - Con

John Edwards, former US Senator (D-NC), had the following voting record on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

Cosponsored the "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) to prevent consideration of drilling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from budget bill.

Mar. 2003 "Budget Amendment, FY2004" (S.AMDT.272) 5 KB

Voted No on "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133), to drill ANWR on national security grounds.

Apr. 2002 "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Amendment" (S.AMDT.3133) 120 KB

Voted No on "National Energy Security Act of 2000" (S.2557), to preserve a budget for ANWR oil drilling.
May 2000 "National Energy Security Act of 2000" (S.2557) 223 KB

Gilmore, Jim (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Aug. 14, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Giuliani, Rudy (R) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, in a July 19, 2007 USA Today/Associated Press article titled "Giuliani Talks Energy, Firm's Ties to Oil Industry":

"Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant reasonably "Besides expanding nuclear power and renewable fuels like ethanol, Giuliani also called for more clean coal technologies, more clean-burning natural gas, environmentally safe drilling for oil and natural gas in North America and new technologies like hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel cells."that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place."
July 19, 2007 Rudy Giuliani

Gravel, Mike (Lib) - Con

Mike Gravel, former US Senator (D-AK), issued the following statement through his press secretary, Alex Colvin, in a Oct. 19, 2007 email to ProCon.org:

"No. The Federal Government should be moving away from fossil fuels."
Oct. 19, 2007 Mike Gravel

Huckabee, Mike (R) - Pro

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, in a Sep. 25, 2007 article titled "Huckabee Q & A" on his official campaign website, stated:

"While I want to reduce our dependence on oil, I especially want to reduce our dependence on imported oil as fully and quickly as possible. We need to get oil and gas from ANWR and our continental shelves."
Sep. 25, 2007 Mike Huckabee

Hunter, Duncan (R) - Pro

Duncan Hunter, US Representative (R-CA), voted for H.AMDT.297 to the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge bill" (H.R.4) on Aug. 1, 2001:

Voted Yes on "H.AMDT.297 to H.R.4- Amendment implements a 2,000-acre limitation on the total surface area that may be covered by oil and gas production operations in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's Coastal Plain."
Aug. 1, 2001 H.AMDT.297 to the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge bill" (H.R.4)

Imperato, Daniel (Ind) - Pro

Daniel Imperato, an Independent candidate and business entrepreneur, issued the following statement through his press secretary, Joseph Oddo, in a Nov. 30, 2007 email to ProCon.org:

"Yes. We need to extract these natural resources without damaging the environment."
Nov. 30, 2007 Daniel Imperato

Keyes, Alan (Ind) - Pro

Alan Keyes, former Assistant US Secretary of State, stated in Jan. 15, 2000 the Republican Presidential Debate held in Johnstown, IA:

"[Steve] Forbes: Would you support opening up ANWR in Alaska for exploration to find out what oil we have there and to get that oil out, so we're a little less dependent on sources -- unstable sources overseas?
[Alan] Keyes: Yes, I would. I think it's important that we understand that as we are facing the future, we're going to have to try to take advantage of our energy reserves."
Jan. 15, 2000 Alan Keyes

Kubby, Steve (Lib) - Con

Steve Kubby, Founder of the American Medical Marijuana Association, stated in an Oct. 29, 2007 email to ProCon.org:

"No. As the situation exists, that really amounts to nothing but corporate welfare. Congress sells 'drilling rights,' then spends more in taxpayer money building roads and infrastructure than it got for the oil, then lets the oil companies put us over the barrel (pun intended) for the final product.
Personally, I'd like to see the national parks in private hands, but on an honest basis, not as a giveaway to Big Oil. I suspect that the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club could raise money to put quite a bit of that land in permanent trust for the uses they prefer if the oil companies didn't own Congress."
Oct. 29, 2007 Steve Kubby

Kucinich, Dennis (D) - Con

Dennis Kucinich, US Representative (D-OH), stated in a Dec. 18, 2005 article titled "Dancing with Ghosts" entered into the US House of Representatives Congressional Record:

"When we perpetrate acts of violence, such as drilling in ANWR, we are damaging ourselves as humans. It destroys the land, it destroys the herd, it destroys the Gwich'in [tribe]. It destroys us all."
Dec. 18, 2005 Dennis Kucinich

McEnulty, Frank (Ind) - Con

Frank McEnulty, an Independent candidate and President of Our Castle Homes, in a Oct. 30, 2007 email to ProCon.org, stated:

"Not at this time. Such a policy will not greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and it will deplete reserves we may need much more in the future. The government should instead concentrate all of its energy resources on getting new nuclear power sources on line and initiating a 'Manhattan Project' for energy to eliminate our dependence on foreign sources of oil."
Oct. 30, 2007 Frank McEnulty

Paul, Ron (R) - Pro

Ron Paul, US Representative (R-TX), on Aug. 1, 2001, voted Yes on H.AMDT.297 to the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge bill" (H.R.4):

Voted Yes on "H.AMDT.297 to H.R.4- Amendment implements a 2,000-acre limitation on the total surface area that may be covered by oil and gas production operations in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's Coastal Plain."
Aug. 1, 2001 H.AMDT.297 to the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge bill" (H.R.4)

Richardson, Bill (D) - Con

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, stated in a Mar. 14, 2007 speech titled "Energy Speech to Bear Stearns" on Bill his official candidate website:

"Development of pristine areas like ANWR or Otero Mesa in my home state, will yield relatively little oil - not nearly enough to alter the inevitable reality of higher prices due to increased demand and finite supply."
Mar. 14, 2007 Bill Richardson

Romney, Mitt (R) - Pro

Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, stated in an article titled "Issue Watch: Energy" on his official campaign website (accessed Oct. 25, 2007):

"We must become independent from foreign sources of oil. This will mean a combination of efforts related to conservation and efficiency measures, developing alternative sources of energy like biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear, and coal gasification, and finding more domestic sources of oil such as in ANWR or the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)."
Oct. 25, 2007 Mitt Romney

Smith, Christine (Lib) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

Christine Smith, a Libertarian candidate and a social and political activist, stated in a Dec. 6, 2007 email to ProCon.org:

"It should be left to the people of that area to determine. The federal government should be taken out of the equation because the government is the worst polluter of our environment. The federal government pollutes without accountability, gives subsidies to pay for more environmental destruction, provides sovereign immunity to polluters, and leaves victims with nothing. I will take the care of our land, water, and animal inhabitants out of the hands of federal bureaucrats who have no vested interest in its preservation.I will eliminate the federal special interest lobbying & federal intrusion into environmental matters nationwide, and will respect state and local control regarding environmental protection, conservation, land use, ecosystem management, public health, private and trust ownership of land, etc. Thus, it should not be the federal government who decides pro/con on oil extraction or any other use of the land--it should be citizens with a vested interest in the land who make those decisions."
Dec. 6, 2007 Christine Smith

Tancredo, Tom (R) - Pro

Tom Tancredo, US Representative (R-CO), in an article titled "Fueling America's Economy" on his official congressional website (accessed Nov. 1, 2007), stated:

"Congressional opponents of common-sense oil and gas exploration, and their friends in the radical environmental movement, appear hell-bent on hampering the ability of America's energy sector to contribute to both the creation of jobs for American workers, and cheaper energy for American consumers.
Obviously, the most high-profile front in this battle is the tug-of-war over whether or not to permit energy exploration in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The case for allowing such development in a tiny fraction of the 19 million acre refuge was recently bolstered by a report released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The report found that development in just 2,000 acres of ANWR could increase domestic oil production by nearly 20% - or some 876,000 barrels of oil per day.

That is 876,000 barrels of oil that Americans would not be importing from overseas, and 876,000 barrels per day being produced in America, by American workers - and not just those in Alaska. One study found that investment in ANWR could create more than 700,000 jobs by as early as 2005, and that most of them would be in other states. Indeed, of the $22.5 billion spent between 1980 and 1984 on development on Alaska's North Slope, some 78% was spent outside Alaska. Had responsible development in ANWR not been vetoed by President Clinton in 1995, that energy - and the jobs it would have created across the country - might be helping to provide fuel for the American economy today."
Nov. 1, 2007 Tom Tancredo

Thompson, Fred (R) - Pro

Fred Thompson, former US Senator (R-TN), voted Yes on the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge amendment," (S.AMDT.3132) "To create jobs for Americans, to reduce dependence on foreign sources of crude oil and energy, to strengthen the economic self determination of the Inupiat Eskimos and to promote national security," on Apr. 16, 2002:

"SEC. 1902. DEFINITIONS.
(1) COASTAL PLAIN.--The term 'Coastal Plain' means that area identified as such in the map entitled 'Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,' dated August 1980, as referenced in section 1002(b) of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (16 USC 3142(b)(1)), comprising approximately 1,549,000 acres, and as legally described in appendix I to part 37 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations...

SEC. 1903. LEASING PROGRAM FOR LANDS WITHIN THE COASTAL PLAIN.

(a) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary shall take such actions as are necessary--

(1) to establish and implement in accordance with this title a competitive oil and gas leasing program under the Mineral Leasing Act (30 USC. 181 et seq.) that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain."
Apr. 16, 2002 "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge amendment" (S.AMDT.3132) 50 KB

Thompson, Tommy (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Sep. 12, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Vilsack, Tom (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Feb. 23, 2007; no position found as of that date.

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