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The conversation around drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is often framed as an economic opportunity, but that framing ignores the reality of where our energy future is headed. Oil extraction in the refuge would create short-term profits and temporary jobs, but the long-term costs — cleanup liabilities, infrastructure decay, and climate-driven disaster spending — could fall back on taxpayers, not oil companies. We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly across the country: corporations extract what they want, leave when the fields dry up, and the public may be left with the bill.
Meanwhile, global markets are already shifting toward renewable energy. Continuing to invest in new oil infrastructure is like putting money into VHS production when streaming already exists. The communities that build toward sustainable and diversified economies will be the ones that remain stable, not the ones dependent on volatile fossil fuel markets.
If Maine has learned anything economically, it’s that industries without long-term vision collapse and take entire communities down with them. So instead of letting drilling in the Arctic Refuge set another dangerous precedent of short-lived extraction followed by abandonment, we should be pushing our legislators to support permanent protections that prevent that cycle from starting.
As a Mainer and a University of Maine student, I believe we’re positioned to advocate for a future that prioritizes stability instead of short-term gain. Protecting the Arctic Refuge is not just an environmental choice; it’s a practical economic one.
Sam Landry
Orono
