Alaska's two U.S. senators and lone congressman are Republicans with key committee assignments, and all strongly support oil development in the reserve. Most Alaskans do too, according to several polls. As a resident of Alaska, I've learned to be careful voicing my own opinions. That may seem a bit odd, since most people who live here came because of a deep love of the country. It's not an easy place to live.
Costs are high, jobs are scarce, and there's a little problem with the weather.
So to live here, you've got to love it. But there are reasons why so many Alaskans favor oil development, despite some environmental consequences. Oil revenues pay for state government in a region where doing anything costs a bundle. There is no state income tax, and with fewer than 700,000 residents, there's little chance of supporting state operations through taxes. About 15 years ago, a decade after oil began flowing through the Alaska pipeline from the Prudoe Bay field, which is west of the refuge, I visited a high school in Point Barrow at the northern tip of the state.