Senate Poised to Clear the Way for ANWR Drilling

CNS News ^ | March 16, 2005 | Susan Jones

[Petronski]

(CNSNews.com) - Environmental activists say Republicans are making a sneaky, "backdoor" attempt to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- and it just might work.

Instead of crafting another ANWR drilling bill or amendment, Senate Republicans have included an ANWR provision in the budget resolution, and they believe they have enough votes to get it passed as is.

Don't let it happen, 14 environmental groups said in a joint press release.

The possibility that some type of oil drilling language may finally emerge from the Senate has oil-drilling critics very worried and oil-drilling supporters more hopeful than they've been for a long time.

The possibility that some type of oil drilling language may finally emerge from the Senate has oil-drilling critics very worried and oil-drilling supporters more hopeful than they've been for a long time.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) has introduced an amendment that would strip the ANWR language out of the budget resolution, and environmentalists are lobbying for passage of the Cantwell amendment. A vote could come as soon as today.

But environmental groups not only oppose Arctic oil drilling; they also oppose the way Republicans are going about it.

[Petronski]

Git'er done!

[samiam1972]

Those sneaky Republicans!!! Woo-hoo!

[srm913]

Pretty please let it happen.

[Awestruck]

Best thing that could happen!

[Guillermo]

For some reason I have a sinking feeling the GOP is going to cave on this...

They don't want the WaPo and NYT editorial writers saying not so nice things about them.

[Petronski]

I'm encouraged that they've tried at all. Success would be uberkewl.

[traderrob6]

Don't bet on it

[Petronski]

Of course not.

Like I said, I'm proud they've made any effort at all.

[dead]

Republicans trying to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling said on March 15, 2005 they had the votes to win U.S. Senate approval of the controversial plan. The Senate was set to vote on Wednesday on an amendment from Democrats to strike the drilling language from budget legislation. The ANWR drilling provision was put into the budget resolution because it estimates the federal government could raise more than $5 billion from companies that would lease ANWR tracts to search for oil. Alaska would get half the money. (Reuters Graphic)

See, Reuters is helping it’s readers see just how large an area the Republicans will despoil to satisfy their greedy lust for oil.

Non-Reuters readers might know that the area in which drilling operations would be conducted comprise a total of 2,000 of the area's 1.5 million acres, which encompasses 0.08 percent of the total area of the refuge.

It wouldn't entirely fill a pixel in the picture above.

[ApesForEvolution]

DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!
DRILL!!

[Petronski]

reuters (N): the stuff that bran removes from your colon

[ClaireSolt]

I'd like to see these 14 groups drafted and sent to reclaim the Iraqi desert from sandstroms, or something enviornmentally significant. They could plant trees in Ethiopia.

[airborne]

Who better than the USA to drill for oil AND protect the environment?

You can bet the Arabs don't give a rat's rear end about anything but getting richer.

When are all these tree huggers going to face reality? (rhetorical question)

[airborne]

Who better than the USA to drill for oil AND protect the environment?

You can bet the Arabs don't give a rat's rear end about anything but getting richer.

When are all these tree huggers going to face reality? (rhetorical question)

[thackney]

March 16, 2005 - Wednesday

Washington, D.C. ­ Tuesday Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski were joined by Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and three members of the Alaska Inupiat community, Oliver Leavitt and Richard Glenn of Barrow and Desiree Kaveolook of Kaktovik, in support of drilling on the Arctic Coastal Plain.

As the Senate debated the 2006 budget, Stevens and Murkowski held a press conference to encourage the Senate to keep the provision opening ANWR to oil and gas exploration in the budget. Supporters of opening ANWR say this language is crucial to having Congress keep its 1980 commitment to Alaska and to reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and increasing our nation's energy security.

"I do believe that our dependence on foreign oil is a direct threat to our national security. People fail to realize that our dependence on rogue states and militant nations makes us weak," stated Stevens. "In 2004 we imported more than 60% of our oil from abroad. That is an increase of 33% since 1970. Importing our energy from one unstable regime is a direct threat to our national security. This dependence on outside sources makes our country vulnerable to whims of the rogue nations. OPEC's decision to impose the 1973 oil embargo was retribution for our foreign policy in the Middle East war. We must head the lessons of history. Even today OPEC meets in Iran to decide the future of oil prices for the world." Listen to this ANWR news conference with comments from Sen. Stevens, Oliver Leavitt and Richard Glenn of Barrow, Desiree Kaveolook of Kaktovik, Secretary Gale Norton, Sen. Domenici and Sen. Lisa Murkowski. (MP3)

http://www.sitnews.us/0305news/031605/031605_anwr.html

[The_Victor]

We need to correct Reuters misinformation.

Great site here: http://www.anwr.org

[RetiredArmy]

Even if it passes in the Senate, these radical communists and socialists will file more law suits than a computer can handle and it will be tied up in litigation for decades. No relief in sigh. Bush's great grand kids will be out of college before a drill bit hits the frozen tundra.

[houston1]

my understanding, which I haven't seen discussed anywhere, is that the the oil in ANWR is heavy crude, which we don't refine in the U.S., so it will be sold to a country that does, thus a lot of time and energy is being wasted on this issue, and it isn't going to result in less dependence on foriegn oil, since we won't use the crude that comes from there in this country anyway.

[Petronski]

Citation?

[norwaypinesavage]

"Environmental groups not only oppose Arctic oil drilling; they also oppose the way Republicans are going about it."

Those evil Republicans should be doing it in such a way that it won't pass.

The ANWR drilling area it uninhabited, and uninhabitable. It has an annual temperature of 10 degrees F and an annual precipitation equal to 4 inches of water. The opposition to this is crazy. There is no better place on earth to be drilling for oil since it's worthless for anything else.