How many jobs will opening ANWR create?

Development of oil reserves in the National Wildlife Refuge could create as many as 735,000 new domestic U.S. jobs by 2005, according to an economic analysis by Wharton Economics Forecasting Associates.

These jobs would benefit workers in every U.S. state, in supplying equipment and services needed to develop the expected oil discoveries on ANWR's coastal plain, the WEFA study found. Geologists think ANWR's coastal plain has the best potential of any unexplored U.S. region for major new oil discoveries, on the scale of the Prudhoe Bay oil field, also on Alaska's North Slope. An example of potential benefits is seen in the $22.5 billion spent between 1980 and 1994 for construction of production modules for Alaska's existing North Slope oil fields.

Seventy eight percent of this $22.5 billion was spent outside of Alaska. Among the states, California received more than $3.2 billion; Texas received more than $6.8 billion; Washington  received $1.7 billion; Minnesota  received almost $84 million.

This money was spent for salaries, materials, design, engineering and construction services, and does not include at least another $25 billion spent prior to 1980 on exploration and development of the North Slope fields.