Senate bill S.389 would open Area 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development.
        If approved, oil companies would then be free to conduct new seismic surveys to produce an updated estimate of the oil that might be available. This primary impact of this survey would be noise, as a grid of explosive charges are used to create echoes in the underlying rock structure. Analysis of the echo patterns give some indication of oil locations. Just how the shock of these prolonged explosions will effect wildlife is not known.
        The next step would be to build ice roads for access to the most promising spots for drilling exploratory wells. Fresh water is scarce in Area 1002 which has fewer ponds and lakes than surrounding areas. The road building and drilling could deplete most of the fresh water at the expense of wildlife survival.
        Thomas Manson, the environmental manager of Alpine--the oil industry's showpiece drilling pad--admits that securing enough fresh water could be a major problem in the ANWR. (Scientific American - May 2001)

Timetable
If the refuge were opened to exploration in 2001, it would be 2010 before production Would begin. Production would peak around 2030, then begin to drop off over the next decade.

Estimated Oil Production
Experts vary in estimating the flow of oil from ANWR. Initial output is estimated at 200,000 barrels a day. At peak production (2030) the flow might reach a million barrels a day according to USGS figures. This would equal 4 percent of U.S. daily consumption, which in no way would begin to change the dependence on imported oil. Total petroleum that might be recovered is estimated to be about half of the Prudhoe Bay fields.

One place where the oil industry present their side of this issue is at the web site of Arctic Power.

USGS Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1002 Area, Petroleum Assessment.