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http://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20050710-115332-2183r.htm
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"Chinese labor for oil drilling eyed in Colo."
By Andrea R. Mihailescu
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
July 11, 2005
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Canadian oil giant EnCana is considering bringing in Chinese companies to construct and operate drilling rigs in the Colorado Rockies, as the region struggles to keep up with demand and rising energy prices.
EnCana, a major player in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado, said Chinese labor is cheap and the workers are well-educated. The move would be scrutinized in Washington, where politicians are uneasy about allowing Chinese workers to acquire access to U.S.-based oil and gas facilities."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050711-122335-4234r.htm
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"Arabic words go free in jails"
By Joel Mowbray
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 11, 2005
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The federal Bureau of Prisons is holding 119 persons with "specific ties" to international Islamist terrorist groups, yet has no full-time Arabic translators or a system to monitor their communications, The Washington Times has learned.
A congressional aide said Bureau of Prisons officials maintain an informal list of 17 employees who are proficient in Arabic. The prison officials acknowledge, however, that none of the workers had been tested to determine Arabic fluency or undergone a special screening or background check, the aide said. "
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1440321/posts
Chinese rigs, crews arriving in western Colorado
The Daily Sentinel ^ | July 07, 2005 | GARY HARMON
Posted on 07/11/2005 12:54:02 AM PDT by primeval patriot
Some Chinese drill crew members already have arrived in western
Colorado, preparing to start drilling for natural gas in the Piceance
Basin.
An official with Denver-based Western Energy Advisors, which brokers
arrangements for the Chinese crews and exploration and production
companies, said he was unfamiliar with specific crews’ schedules, but
that some crews and rigs could be expected to arrive in western
Colorado now.
Several western Colorado residents on Wednesday reported seeing
drill rigs arriving or being set up in the area.
Western Energy Advisors worked with federal agencies to arrange for
visas for the Chinese crews, said Bill Croyle, a partner in Western
Energy.
One hurdle the company had to clear was to show that the jobs
couldn’t be done by American citizens or legal residents.
That wasn’t difficult to show, Croyle said, citing the loss of “a million”
domestic jobs among major oil companies over recent years, as well
as reductions among smaller employers.
Much of the domestic exploration and production industry is “just
gone,” he said. Rigs have been trucked in from Canada and elsewhere
for drilling in the United States.
This will make folks in the oil patch happy. These are generally high paying jobs (albet lots of hard physical labor and some danger) that lots of good Americans could use.