If Bush is allowed to forge on, hundreds of thousands could die. A beautiful land could lay in ruins. And, it will all be for the sake of oil.

Sounds eerily like the situation in Iraq; however, this is a domestic problem. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of thousands of caribou, birds and other wildlife. Unfortunately, there is a bill in the House of Representatives that could potentially destroy this natural habitat.

At the end of March, the U.S. Senate voted to remove ANWR drilling from its national energy plan. After the narrow vote, the Senate’s energy panel chose not to put ANWR drilling in the energy legislation. Sen. Pete Domenci, R-NM, told Reuters that “No means no.”

Apparently the House missed that comment. Last week, the resource committee approved the White House energy plan that included opening up ANWR for crude oil excavation. The bill will now be voted on by the entire body.

Robert Thompson, who is a guide in an area of the refuge, said he does not want ANWR to turn into Prudhoe Bay, another Alaskan oil field.

“I’ve seen Prudhoe Bay and I’ve seen the structures, the black smoke coming from the area, the roads, the infrastructure. I would like to leave the land like it is for future generations,” Thompson said, according to The Associated Press.

Proponents of the bill argue drilling will benefit Alaska economically and help reduce the amount of foreign oil purchased. ANWR could hold up to 16 billion barrels of crude oil. But the environmental damage the 19-million acre refuge will sustain is not worth the money the oil will produce.

If money is the root of all evil and ANWR drilling legislation is passed, then hell has frozen over. This frozen plain will be ruined and the wildlife will lose their home if drilling is allowed.

Not only will the refuge be destroyed by the drilling, but if passed, this legislation will create a slippery-slope effect for environmental issues. If the Alaskan refuge is allowed to be destroyed, what will stop the federal government from pushing through legislation for logging in Yellowstone Park? Or how will the Midwest preserve the few remaining prairies it has from commercial development?

To help keep this from happening, House Democrats are proposing amendments to increase gas mileage requirements. They argue this will help reduce U.S. need for imported oil.

Hopefully, these amendments are successful. As Thompson said, we need to preserve ANWR and other habitats for the future heirs of this world.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Katie List