Question of the Day: ANWR Drilling Policy

• Initiate critical thinking and discussion of proposals to open the ANWR to oil and gas drilling.
• Quantitatively analyze the cases for oil drilling in the ANWR versus improving gas mileage in American automobiles.

• An average US car mileage increase of five miles per gallon would reduce oil consuption by more than the expected peak annual oil production from drilling in ANWR.
• An average US car mileage increase of ten miles per gallon (recommended as feasible by the National Academy of Sciences) would replace one quarter of the total amount of recoverable oil in ANWR each year, based on the most optimistic figure of 10 billion barrels of oil.

• The recommended grading policy is generosity; 100% for a good-faith effort. Students cannot turn them in if they miss class or are late.
• Collectively across the term, the question-of-the-day responses are worth about 10% of their grade.

Question of the Day is a method used by Dr. William Prothero in his Oceanography Course at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

For tips and information about using Questions of the Day as well as additional examples, see the Qustion of the Day page which is part of the Starting Point: Interactive Lectures Module.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - This is the US Fish and Wildlife Service website for ANWR. Much information is available here as well as links to other sites.

Quantitative Skills Covered

Geoscience Topics Covered