Facing the United States' Oil Supply Problems: Would opening up ANWR Really Make a Difference?

If history is any guide, the United States and other petroleum importing countries can expect further tensions and perhaps conflicts related to the vast quantities of oil that underlie the Middle East. When non-OPEC oil production peaks and starts declining, control over global oil supply – including both availability and price – will inevitably shift to the OPEC producers.

While the ANWR Coastal Plain may make a contribution to U.S. oil supply a decade from now, we cannot rely on ANWR to significantly alleviate our long-term security problems stemming from our heavy reliance on increasingly imported oil.