Well first off, there's no guarantee that drilling would definitely ruin the environmental areas in question, it's just a risk that could potentially go bad, which is why people don't want them to start drilling.
Secondly, what exactly would implementing so called "high speed" bike paths accomplish? How fast do you think the average person can ride a bike and for how long? Sure you might kill two birds with one stone and solve America's obesity problem, but it's just not practical by any means. The average person commutes to work probably a half-hour driving distance, and unless you're Lance Armstrong, which even then it would be a nice task; it just isn't gonna happen.
As for alternative sources of energy, I believe there's already a huge budget in the government devoted to finding another source, but I don't think anyone expects to find a savior any time soon.
Not sure what you mean by urban sprawl, perhaps clarify.
Lasty, you said we would be saving something like $7.50 on our next fill-up if we did start the drilling, well...sure $7.50 might not seem like a lot, but if you're doing a lot of traveling on a daily basis, it can add up. Besides that, we're not just talking about one or two people here, virtually the entire North American continent has faced substantial increases, so saving that extra $7.50 each time you fill-up would make a significant difference in the lives of many.
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