17-03-04 Opening an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil development would only slightly reduce America's dependence on imports and would lower oil prices by less than 50 cents a barrel, said an Energy Department analysis.
The report by the Energy Information Administration said that if Congress gave the go-ahead to pump oil from Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the crude could begin flowing by 2013 and reach a peak of 876,000 bpd by 2025.

But at peak production, the report said, the United States would still have to import two-thirds of its oil, as opposed to an expected 70 % if the refuge's oil remains off the market.
At the same time, the report said, new Alaska production would stem the expected decline in domestic production and extend the economic life of the Alaska oil pipeline as production from other North Slope areas declines significantly.