With a 51 to 49 vote yesterday, March 16th, 2005, the US Senate decided to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska. This isn’t the final word on the topic (which still has to overcome the all-too-eager House and budgeting), but it does bring the concept closer to reality then ever before. (check out the details) While the drilling is estimated to make $5 billion over the next 10 years to be split between Alaska and the US, relieve dependency on foreign oil sources, and possibly stall the ever increasing gas prices, it seems like a band-aid when what we need is surgery.

According to the USGS, the total amount of oil in Alaska ranges from 5.7 – 10.4 billion barrels. At our current consumption rate of 18 million barrels a day, the total amount of oil could only last us for, at most, a year and a half. On the other-hand, current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards still only require 20.7 mpg for SUVs and light trucks and 27.5 mpg for cars (Toyota’s new hybrid Prius gets about 55 mpg). Increasing these standards, which have not been amended for the last 16 years, would save America over one million barrels of oil a day.

In addition to being a realitively ineffective approach to our situation, the ok to drill in Alaska will for the first time put National Parks set aside since the time of Teddy Roosevelt at risk. Are we really so ready to throw away our “national treasures” in the frugal interest our obsessed-with-over-consumption ways and corporate greed?

Probably too late but it may be worth trying to write your senators.