Governor Plans ANWR, NPR-A Offshore Leasing

Office of the Alaska State Governor ^ | March 31, 2004 | John Manly Press Secretary

[farmfriend]

Governor Announces Oil & Gas Leasing Off-shore of ANWR, NPR-A

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2004 No. 04-054

(Washington, DC) – Saying the State of Alaska will not submit to the dictates of America’s extreme environmental community, Governor Frank H. Murkowski today announced he will begin the process of planning oil and gas lease sales in state waters off-shore of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. His intention is to have the lease sales included in a state offering by October of this year.

Murkowski cited high energy prices and the nation's increasing hunger for natural gas as good reasons why Alaska needs to move on increased oil and gas development.

“Today I am initiating a leasing program on state lands, off-shore in the Arctic, along the coast of ANWR and NPR-A,” Murkowski said. “There are about 425 miles of coastline between Barrow and the Canadian border. That’s just under two million acres in all.

“Some of the areas, those located off state land near Prudhoe Bay, are already leased and producing oil. These include the Northstar, Point McIntyre and Endicott fields.”

With the national energy bill making uncertain progress in Congress, OPEC’s continued stranglehold on production, and with anti-development forces in play in the presidential race, Murkowski said Alaska can no longer allow others to hold hostage the time at which Alaska will move its resources to market to benefit the nation. The governor said his plan allows the state to exercise its sovereign authority for off-shore development, just as Texas and Louisiana are doing today.

“The new areas to be offered for lease, exploration, and development are 670,000 acres of land off the coast of the NPR-A and more than 350,000 acres off the coast of ANWR.

“Toward that end, I have directed my Commissioner of Natural Resources, Tom Irwin, to open an immediate dialog with the residents of the North Slope. While the US House and Senate remain grid-locked over opening ANWR for oil development, I am not burdened with that process.

“Residents of Alaska and the North Slope are unified in their support for the opening of ANWR. Initial contacts with officials of the North Slope have been made. It would be my intention to include the state offshore ANWR tracts in our October 2004 Beaufort Sea Area Wide lease sale.

“America should not be held hostage by Middle-East oil imports. Motorists should not have to pay more than $2 for a gallon of gasoline. Alaska oil, Alaska natural gas, can help balance the equation.”

The governor noted estimates that the 1002 area could produce up to 1.6 million barrels of oil per day. While there is no guarantee that amount is recoverable, directional drilling from state leases off-shore could help delineate onshore deposits, could identify deposits that collectively might justify investment in onshore pipelines, and could even discover more oil than is ever found onshore.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[FlashBack]

Thank You Governor!!!!
It's overwhelmingly what the people of Alska want and what the rest of the country needs!!!

[FairOpinion]

"Murkowski said Alaska can no longer allow others to hold hostage the time at which Alaska will move its resources to market to benefit the nation. "




APPLAUSE!!!!

STANDING OVATION FOR MURKOWSKI!

[teletech]

Is this guy a Republican?

[Keith in Iowa]

Now there's an example of extreme testicular fortitude...

[farmfriend]

I like the way you phrase that.

[teletech]

Now there's an example of extreme testicular fortitude

I think he just flipped the "treehuggers" the bird.

[azsportsterman]

This is gonna be fun to watch. The envirowackos heads are gonna explode!

[middie]

An injunction will issue so quickly in this case that the ink won't even be dry on the first lease issued. There's not a federal court in the 50 states or D.C. that would deny an injunction to prevent a state from making an end-run around federal preemption of environmental impact matters. But, it will give the attorney general of Alaska and his staff some usefull litigation experience and earn some big fees for a few "silk stocking" law firms representing the potential lessees.

[bigfootbob]

When it suits him.

[strongbow]

"Is this guy a Republican?"

Is the Pope Catholic?? Frank is our hope up here in Alaska, he replaced a socialist democrat who ran the state into the ground over the previous eight years. Makes me proud to be an Alaskan (again)

[teletech]

When it suits him.

Well now, maybe he won't get far with this but I sure do give him credit for trying. I thought for a moment he might have his country in mind with this decision but from what you say, maybe not huh?

[bigfootbob]

'fraid not. He did good this time, let's see if he stands tall.

[azsportsterman]

An example of the federal courts not being able to exercise control over a state's sovereignity can be found in southern Arizona.

The fed courts have continuously sided with the envirowackos against Fort Huachuca in an attempt to force the post to control growth outside of its boundaries. The post has been jumping through hoops for years trying to comply.

The key here is this: The court could not order the state to stop or even slow development, since environmental law can only be forced on federal entities. The court was powerless to stop Arizona from developing non-federal land. Alaska is just developing its own resources.

[FairOpinion]

Of course Murkowski is a Republican.

He produced a lot of factual evidence, provided it to Congress, showing then that the "environmental conerns" were all phony, but, as we know, the Dems never met a fact they couldn't ignore.

So finally Murkowski just had enough, saw a way to get around the Dems, who don't care about national security or the economy, except their own power, and decided to lease the land.

It took a lot of courage for Murkowski to do this!

[Carry_Okie]

Actually, he may be able to drill it. The real sticky issue is that he will have a hell of a time getting the oil out of there without crossing a Federal jurisdiction, much less conducting interstate or international commerce. Still, moving it along in this manner could be a very good thing, particularly because drilling it from offshore won't leave ANY footprint on ANWR.

[GATOR NAVY]

This sounds good, but I have a question. If the leases are offshore, and feds control the coastline and continue to ban any developement, how are they going to get anything to market if they do hit oil?

[GATOR NAVY]

I think you brought up the same point I was trying to.

[texastoo]

If they hit oil at the time that gasoline is around $5 a gallon,you can bet the feds (Democrats and Republicans) will find a way to get it to the people. Votes, votes, votes is all that matters.