News of the North

Once again, the House has voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. The vote was 225-201 - an easy win - but must still be approved by the Senate.

A herd of about 123,000 caribou usually migrates around 400 miles between their summer and winter ranges. Currently, SUVs must achieve a minimum of 21.6 mpg. A fleet of 123,000 SUVs would travel this distance using 54,179 barrels of oil (42 gallons = 1 barrel) - and do it a lot faster than a caribou!

ANWR's oil could potentially supply the country with 11 million barrels, enough for the fleet of SUVs to lap the caribou around 200 times. Clearly, they get better mileage and are therefore more important.

Numbers don't add up? Help save the Refuge - sign the petition at http://www.savearcticrefuge.org. If you're in the United States, contact your senator and tell them to block the drilling.