The House Resources committee posted a series of fact sheets on its website to boost support for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR) to domestic oil and gas exploration. The Wildlife Society expressed concern and disappointment to the Committee about one fact sheet in particular - titled "ANWR: Caribou-Deer." The document states that "caribou-deer are so adaptable, they have increased their numbers 1000% since coming into contact with oil production [on Alaska's North Slope]. They do fine around energy exploration, and seem to thrive on it, if the numbers tell us anything. For Caribou-Deer, Congress should open ANWR."
The Wildlife Society criticized the Committee for drawing conclusions based on assumptions that are not supported by scientific evidence. They pointed to numerous reports compiled by scientists that indicate there is no general conclusion that can be made about the effects of oil and gas development on caribou. Caribou populations are influenced by more factors than just energy production, including weather, vegetation, disease, insects, and predators. They asked the Committee to reconsider promulgating the misleading statements, and instead to present the American people with the facts, allowing them to draw their own conclusions.
The Wildlife Society criticized the Committee for drawing conclusions based on assumptions that are not supported by scientific evidence. They pointed to numerous reports compiled by scientists that indicate there is no general conclusion that can be made about the effects of oil and gas development on caribou. Caribou populations are influenced by more factors than just energy production, including weather, vegetation, disease, insects, and predators. They asked the Committee to reconsider promulgating the misleading statements, and instead to present the American people with the facts, allowing them to draw their own conclusions.
