Posted on 03/16/2005 12:49:26 PM PST by sergey1973
The US Senate has given its de facto approval to a plan to open up a remote wildlife refuge in the northern state of Alaska to oil drilling.
Senators voted 51-49 against an amendment which would have struck the measure from the federal budget.
The plan has long been a key part of President Bush's energy plan, as a means to reduce US reliance on imports.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
McCain, on the other hand, is a plain idjut.
Can someone tell me how to find which Republicans voted AGAINST ANWAR drilling ... I have been unable to identify them ... HELP
I believe you can find the voting record of each Senator on all different legislatures on www.senate.gov.
Alaskans Wary of Vote on Oil Drilling (posted 3/17/05)
Alaskans Issue Wary Response to Senate Vote on Oil Drilling at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
3/17/05 Associated Press/ABC news. Most media bias is done covertly, by omission or distortion. This story is just about an outright lie. The impression given is that the natives are being exploited and/or have an unfavorable view of the recent Senate vote. The exact opposite, of course, is true. The natives and all Alaskans were being exploited by the Democrats in the Senate and the environmentalists across the country. This story says: The tiny north coast town of Kaktovik officially supports responsible development of oil and gas. But many reacted warily to the Senate vote to allow drilling in their back yard. <..> Mayor Lon Sonsalla said just about everyone has concerns about changes that could accompany any work in the 1.5 million-acre stretch, where billions of barrels of crude oil are believed to rest beneath the tundra. First, the story gives the impression that 1.5 million-acres are going to be drilled on. ANWAR is 19 million-acres and only a small percentage of the 1.5 million-acre costal area will be affected. Secondly, contrast the above Associated Press rot with actual opinion polls:
Seventy-five percent of Alaskans told a February 2000 Dittman research survey that they wanted to open up the refuge for drilling, with only 23 percent opposed.
A 1995 Dittman survey yielded similar results, with 75 percent of Alaskans saying they backed ANWR drilling, and just 19 percent opposed.
In the Inupiat Eskimo villages near ANWR, support is even higher. A January 2000 survey in the village of Kaktovik found that 78 percent of residents back more energy exploration in their own backyard. Only 9 percent were opposed.
In 1995, the Alaska Federation of Natives, which represents 80,000 Eskimos, adopted a resolution supporting ANWR drilling, calling it a “critically important economic opportunity for Alaska natives.”
More evidence comes from a previous post of mine (which in fact first alerted me that this AP story was fishy):
Casting a Cold Eye on Arctic Oil
9/10/03 New York Times - Nicolas Kristof goes to Alaska to investigate ANWAR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge) and offer his opinion on the Bush administration's proposal to open it to energy exploration (aka - oil drilling). A vast majority of Alaskans, both Democrats and Republicans, support the plan. Of course, Kristof opposes the drilling, but what is most interesting, besides the fact that only 7% of ANWAR would be open to drilling (and perhaps only a small percentage of this 'spoiled' by the drilling), is this statement in his story: It's also only fair to give special weight to the views of the only people who live in the coastal plain: the Inupiat Eskimos, who overwhelmingly favor drilling (they are poor now, and oil could make them millionaires). One of the Eskimos, Bert Akootchook, angrily told me that if environmentalists were so anxious about the Arctic, they should come here and clean up the petroleum that naturally seeps to the surface of the tundra. (all emphasis mine!)
Good enough.... Thanks
Am wondering any of you might have come across something that shows the scale of "disturbace" the drilling will have on all of Alaska. I'm thinking like if you had a page of printer paper with one period in the middle it would be close -- but would like something a bit more accurate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.