re: Why?
The Alaskan reserves are supposed to be huge. Unfortunately, I have seen figures that state Alaska could supply us with all the oil we needs ranging from a few years to a few decades. I have yet to see an exact amount.
Regardless, the us needs to lesion its dependencies on the Middle East, Venezuela, and other countries. Meanwhile we need to phase out oil production (for gasoline, anyway) and start developing alternate fuel cars. My favorite is hydrogen burning cars. These cars must be made affordable for average Americans.
I personally wish rail travel was more convenient. I hate driving.