	Brittany Hutchison researched the portion of ANWR that is set aside for oil research.  Protecting the wilderness is the main concern when it comes to the environmentalists.  “They are opposed to any economic growth that results from harming the environment” sums up the stance in the environmental camp.  The other camp is referred to as pro-drillers and they believe “that humans can dominate the earth and use it to their advantage”.  The two stances are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to oil or not.  
	The refuge portion of ANWR is 19.6 million acres and the 2,000 acres set aside for oil research and production are vastly different numbers.  The two camps must come together and compromise to release the 2,000 acres to the oil companies and allow them to drill in a responsible manner.  The policy to disallow drilling is still in place and removing it would cause domestic oil production to rise and the pressure of outside oil resources being brought in would decrease.  

	Some believe that peak oil is a myth surrounding oil production.  Basenese conducted research for BP and the Department of Energy and found that “oil supplies and production are actually rising.”  He defines the concept of peak oil as the “idea that the world will eventually reach a maximum rate of oil production, followed by a terminal decline.”  The news media portrays a message that the oil prices keep rising because of oil shortage and overuse but Basenese suggests that there is not a shortage or even a crisis.
	Baumeister and Killian researched the decline in oil price during the first half of 2014 and found that the world, except Saudi Arabia has increased oil production significantly and that has led to cheaper oil prices.  Paired with the information from Basenese, it appears that countries are pumping more oil in response to increased oil demand.  Baumeister and Killian also suggest that alternative sources and the creation of more fuel efficient vehicles has contributed to this decline in price as well.

Researching the pros and cons of domestic oil and energy production turn up a lot of passion and controversy for the topic.  First and foremost, the human impact on planet earth and the preservation of resources for future generations must be considered.  While present energy needs are vital to the current methods of transportation, it is becoming even more important to find ways to provide energy without doing further harm to the environment.
	Recent history contains many examples of extreme environmental disasters caused by the hunt for oil and other natural resources.  The BP Deepwater horizon oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico is a new scar that humans have done to the planet.  The disaster is responsible for claiming 11 lives and injuring 17 other people along with 8,000 animals being reported as dead.  Thousands of miles of coastline being were coated with oil and the BP spending 30 billion dollars on trying to clean up the issue.  The money was spent on cleaning up in general and other personal and property claims.  BP is a very large company and was held responsible for their negligence in the matter through paying out money and having their reputation tarnished.  The fact that people have now lost their lives trying to simply provide oil is sad and needs to be addressed and held in high regard.
