I’m responding to a letter published in the Peninsula Daily News on Jan. 10, 2018 entitled “Protect Refuge.”
As a 30-year Alaskan now retired and living in Sequim, I take issue with statements implying drilling for oil can only harm wildlife and the environment.
That’s just not accurate.
The Porcupine caribou herd has grown in size since the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in the mid-1970s.
The Alyeska Pipeline is constructed in such a way that the caribou walk underneath the pipeline and graze unimpeded.
The environment is fragile and we must be good stewards of the last frontier.
The footprint of the pipeline at Pump Station No. 1 is remarkable.
Respect for (and safekeeping of) the environment and oil extraction are not mutually exclusive.
The pipeline is a good example of how it can be done without harm to wildlife and the environment in general.
Let’s continue pursuing alternate sources of energy, without shooting ourselves in the foot by being disingenuous about oil extraction.
Why continue importing oil from the Middle East when we have lots of our own and can employ Americans in the process?
Vicki Schneibel,
Sequim