Pressure to Drill for Oil in Wildlife Refuge

I read with interest John Balzer’s article (“Mideast Crisis Endangers Pristine Alaskan Refuge,” front page, Aug. 26) on pressure to turn the oil industry loose in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The most significant statistic about the refuge is this: Even if Big Oil did beat the 4-1 odds against finding a commercially viable field, the most likely output would satisfy just 2% of U.S. oil demand. Those are Reagan Administration numbers.

We could save that much oil simply by increasing the efficiency of new U.S. cars by two miles per gallon--and 10 times that much oil by passing a bill now before the Senate that would increase the fleet requirement to 40 m.p.g.

Unfortunately, oil kills. It kills wildlife where we drill and where we spill. It kills refinery workers in explosions. It kills as pollution poisons our bodies. It will kill us as greenhouse gases warm the globe. And, if our luck runs out in the Middle East, it will, in effect, kill U.S. soldiers and others. Our addiction to oil must be ended as quickly as possible, and giving the oil industry carte blanche in the Arctic refuge would only prolong our dependence.

GEORGE T. FRAMPTON JR.

President, The Wilderness Society

Washington D.C.