The Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge is home to a diverse community of tundra organisms. The tundra is a fragile environment and could easily be destroyed by human activities. Thus, Congress declared the section protected in 1960. However, in 1987, the Department of the Interior discovered that there is a 19% chance of finding oil in the refuge. This issue became a seriously debated one. People who support oil exploration say that the U.S. is spending a lot of its energy budget importing foreign oil. Having a source of domestic oil would make the U.S. less dependent on foreign countries. They believe that oil exploration will not have a lasting impact on the environment. Those who oppose oil exploration say that it poses permanent threats to the refuge. They believe that the money that would be spent searching for oil should be used to research alternative energy sources instead. In 1995, Congress passed a bill that would allow oil drilling in the refuge, but President Clinton vetoed it. In June 2008, President Bush asked Congress to reverse the ban on offshore drilling in the refuge, which had been enacted in 1982.

Should the U.S. drill in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge?

Why or why not?