1.  a) What is the BLM?
b)  Who is Richard Watson?

2.  a) How many barrels of oil are on lands owned or managed by the U.S. government?
b)  How many of these barrels are currently accessible for drilling?

3.  What is significant about the amount of untapped oil in the U.S. - on government and private land?

4.  Why is almost half of the oil in California off-limits for drilling?

5.  What information did Congress request in the report written by Mr. Watson? (see para. 16)

6.  In places where laws don't forbid drilling, why isn't the oil always retrieved? (see para. 17-19)

7.  a) What is directional drilling?
b)  Why is directional drilling used to extract oil from the ground?
c)  Why isn't directional drilling used more often?

8.  What additional obstacle do companies face when attempting to drill for oil? (see para. 27-30)

9.  The spokeswoman for the environmental group the Sierra Club, said of the BLM report:
"It appears to be more of same kind of thing we've had all along from the Bush administration, which wants to exploit the land, rather than protect it."
Most environmental groups do not want any oil drilling to be permitted. 
Read information from those who support drilling in wildlife areas such as ANWR at:

Seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002225669_murkowski31.html (an editorial by Alaska's former governor on why drilling at ANWR would benefit the U.S.)

Anwr.org/topten.htm ("Top 10 reasons to support development in ANWR" from anwr.org)

a) Do you believe that the Bush administration really wants to exploit the land? Explain your answer.
b) Is it more important to you to have stringent environmental protection laws or to solve the oil/gas shortage and rising gasoline and home heating oil prices? Explain your answer.
c) Ask a parent the same question. (Share the article and resource information.)

PLEASE NOTE:  "Answers by Email" has ended for the summer.