"The recoverable oil in the [Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge], possibly amounting to as much as ten billion barrels, is enough oil to supply the entire needs of the United States for about 18 months.While that sounds trivial, it isn't - the US consumes about 20 million barrels of oil per day, and at a rate of 1.5 million barrels a day from Alaska, 7.5% of America's oil consumption could be met for over 20 years." -Ed "Redwood" Ring

The main beneficiary in drilling for oil in the ANWR is the American public. Opening up the fields in Alaska would decrease U.S. dependency on petroleum imports from the Middle East and Latin America and in turn, boost the revenue of American oil companies. It would create countless American jobs, lower the price of oil for American consumers, increase federal, state, and local tax revenues, and lower our trade defecit.

Specifically, the state of Alaska would benefit tremendously. Investigations have found that the political ramifications for drilling in Alaska would be good in the short and long term. For the state of Alaska, the main benefit in opening up the fields in the ANWR is the economic stability that it would bring. "Oil is the main source of income and stability for the Alaskan goverment, and Alaska would be economically sound for 20-30 years after the opening of the ANWR because of oil royalties" [1].

Political parties also take their share of the benefits of oil. The Republican Party has obvious interest in opening up the ANWR. United States' President George W. Bush is the former owner of Arbusto Energy Inc. and Bush Exploration. Vice President Cheney was the CEO of the largest oil service company, the Halliburton Company. Oil and gas firms donated close to two million dollars to Bush's presidential campaign, according to Defender of Wildlife. This made them one of the highest contributors and; therefore, one of the most influential.

Vinay Jain, a spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation, explaines that "the amount of oil in the refuge is marginal at best. It is not going to make a difference. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is symbolic of a larger effort. It’s about getting into one protected area and using the momentum to get into another" [2].

What is really at stake with the ANWR is the precendent. If the refuge is opened to drilling for oil, more and more areas that have until now been thought of as 'protected' will be the next targets for oil companies. This is a huge benefit for domestic oil companies, the politicians looking to make money off of them, and the American citizens who are concerned with paying less for gas at the expense of the environment.