US to open 3.9m acres in Alaska for drilling

Financial Times ^ | July 16, 2008 | Sheila McNulty

[bobsunshine]

The US federal government on Wednesday said it would open 3.9m acres of land in a designated petroleum reserve in Alaska for drilling as a means to help curb rising petrol prices.

“This is welcome news at a time when Americans are paying record prices at the pump,” said C. Stephen Allred, assistant US Secretary for Land and Minerals. “Together with proposed new production from other offshore and onshore areas, these increased supplies will help to stabilise energy costs.’’

The Alaska decision follows one by President George W. Bush on Monday to lift a presidential ban on drilling on the US outer continental shelf, off Florida. That decision still requires Congress to lift a separate ban on the area before the area can be leased for development.

But the Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the US Department of the Interior, said the Alaskan land that will now be offered requires no other approvals and will be up for leasing in the autumn.

[SueRae]

perfect!

[kellynla]

BTTT

[magellan]

Yes we can!

[EBH]

Is this a joke/sarcasm?

Really!

So how do we stop the enviro-whackos from interfering?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

So how do we stop the enviro-whackos from interfering?

I've always liked hot tar and feathers.

Maybe enough angry drivers will take their frustrations out of the environazis to limit their ability to interfere with the search for oil.

[RetiredArmy]

No worries. Some federal judge in Timbuktu, Iowa will put some injunction against drilling, after some no name, protect the Arctic Fireaunt foundation, says no drilling. No worries. Mother Earth will be protected by the leftists. We on the right WANT to DESTROY the earth. We WANT dirty drinking water. We WANT to breath dirty air filled with all kinds of pollutions. We WANT our children born with birth defects because of illegal chemicals. We WANT to wipe out ALL wildlife on the planet. We WANT to kill all the whales, polar bears, fish, birds, flowers. We WANT to live on a dust filled, dust flying in the air, CHEMICALLY polluted planet. This is what we WANT AND DESIRE!!! sarcasm still on

[firewalk]

(:

[wolfcreek]

From the UK? Information Dissemination.

[bert]

It is however not free from lawsuits.

Unless there are legal prohabitions against frivolus litigation, there will be no drilling. The lawyers will prevail

[bert]

The area released is not the Anwar region The aarea in this article is the national petroleum reserve,west of Anwar..

[thackney]

A little larger by horizontal drilling.

The world record for horizontal reach by a rig is about 8 miles.

[Jeff Head]

'bout time...long past time.

Putting more and more pressure on the dem congress, and giving more and more reason to wholly avoid Hussein.

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA - CHANGE YOU CAN COUNT ON, BUT DON'T WANT

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

[jveritas]

Most excellent news.

[eleni121]

Why now—why not last year? Why the delay? If Bush didn’t need congress-critters to vote thumbs down why did he wait?

[Red in Blue PA]

Precisely what I was thinking.

[PapaBear3625]

If congress limited energy exports to 10% or less from the CONUS or it’s territorial waters would that be a quicker fix ?

The quickest fix would be to gut the EPA, since that's the cause of much of the crazyness

We have to export high-sulfur oil to places that are able to consume it, and then import low-sulfur oil from halfway around the world.

You remember when diesel used to be cheaper than regular, and now it's more expensive than premium? Look at the sticker on the diesel pump. They can now only sell low-sulfur diesel

[N. Theknow]

No freakin’ way!!!!
Really?

I think there’s a snowball fight going on in h@ll!

Don't get too excited. This is the National Petroleum Reserve-A not ANWR. ANWR is still off limits.

This is nothing more than a "fool 'em again" move by the Dems to do damage control on their image.

As GOP Whip Roy Blount said:

"Democrats brought forth their 'Use It or Lose It' bill without knowing it was already the law of the land," said GOP Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. "Today we're reminded that the majority's efforts to 'unlock' NPR-A are about as necessary as passing a bill ordering the sun to rise."

[PapaBear3625]

Bloomberg shows oil prices continuing to decline as of 9am on international markets

[N. Theknow]

Bloomberg shows oil prices continuing to decline as of 9am on international markets

Right. That's very good.

However, with passage of this BS bill to drill in NPR-Alaska (How many on this thread thought it meant ANWR?) the Dems will claim credit for it.

Much the same as a rooster takes credit for the sun coming up.

The area they are opening up for drilling compared to what is in ANWR is like opening Manhattan Island to planting wheat, but keeping Kansas off limits.

[Mr. Pumblechook]

In economics they say that prices are “upwardly sticky.” Naturally, suppliers are quicker to raise than to drop prices.