Anything can be designed well - including oil-extraction
sites. The problem isn't sucking oil out from under the
ANWR, the problem is in preventing significant leaks
if something goes wrong with the process.
The first line of defense is just a ring or double ring
of earthen dikes surrounding the pump. They do
not have to be especially large, their job is simply
to contain smallish leaks in case of a bad seal or
cracked housing or whatever on the rig. Insofar
as the environment goes, they're just little mounds
of dirt like so many other natural ones.
There's a greater problem if the oil is under natural
pressure - ie if you unscrew the pump will the stuff
just pour out under its own pressure, a 'gusher'
situation. If that's the case then a double-layer
well/pumphead/piping design is required that's
strong enough to contain the pressure should the
inner mechanism break. This is more expensive ...
but under certain conditions it's a price worth paying.
What seems to be lacking on some of the older
petrochemical installations are adequate sensors
to very quickly identify a problem and apply the
appropriate shut-down/close-tight procedures. If,
say, a pipe in the collection network cracks we
want pressure to cease immediately and most
of the oil suctioned out of the defective segment.
Fortunately sensors and associated actuators
have become much cheaper and more reliable
over the years. This approach does not add much
to the cost of the rigs.
Methane and a certain amount of oil naturally seeps
out of the ground in big swamps like the ANWR.
A tiny amount of leakage from oil rigs isn't gonna
destroy everything. The trick is to prevent BIG leaks
BY DESIGN from the get-go. If you can do that
then everything's good.