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Environmental groups oppose the move.
Dr. Mackenzie said that over the next 20 years, the Department of Energy estimates that U.S. oil demand will increase by 33 percent, and to meet this demand, oil imports will have to increase from today's 55 percent of supply to 70 percent. He added that during this time, oil production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can only make a marginal contribution to solving the nation's oil security problems. The U.S. consumes about 19.4 million barrels of oil daily, two-thirds of which is consumed in transportation. Crude oil production, however, is only 4.9 million barrels per day in the lower 48 states plus 970,000 barrels per day from Alaska's North Slope. Crude oil production in Alaska's North Slope peaked in 1988 - ten years after it was opened up for production.