October 24, 2001

Senate Likely to OK Alaska Refuge Drilling - Official

By REUTERS

Filed at 4:20 a.m. ET

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Congressional approval of oil drilling in Alaska's

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is imminent, a Bush administration official predicted

to an industry-friendly audience on Tuesday.

Andrew Lundquist, executive director of the administration's National Energy Policy

Development Group, said he believed the Senate this year or next year would pass

legislation allowing drilling in the wildlife refuge, an important goal of the president.

The House already has approved an energy bill that includes oil development in the

refuge, the most controversial part of Bush's national energy strategy.

Lundquist said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat, had temporarily

blocked action on the measure by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee

because he knew that Alaska Republican Frank Murkowski, the panel's ranking

minority member, ``had the votes to move it out of committee.''

``But guess what. I believe we have the votes on the floor of the Senate. And the will

of the Senate should be allowed to prevail,'' Lundquist told the Alaska Support

Industry Alliance, an Anchorage-based organization of oil field service companies.

The National Energy Policy Development Group was created by the president and is

chaired by Vice President Dick Cheney.

Lundquist, the keynote speaker at the Alaska Support Industry Alliance's annual

meeting, said strong backing from Alaskans for development in the refuge had

helped sway some members of Congress.

Congress voted to open the refuge to drilling in 1995, when Lundquist was an aide

to Murkowski, but then-President Bill Clinton vetoed the measure. Events will be

different with Bush in office, Lundquist said.

Alaskans have historically supported drilling in the refuge by a margin of about

2-to-1. The state, which has no personal income tax or statewide sales tax, depends

heavily on oil taxes, royalties and fees for its state government operations.

About two-thirds of general government revenues come from oil production on the

North Slope, where the state owns the mineral rights on land drilled by the oil

companies.

Oil revenues also have created a $24 billion state-owned trust fund that pays

residents annual dividends. This year's dividend from the Alaska Permanent Fund

was $1,850.28.

Environmentalists and some Alaska Natives oppose the idea of drilling in the refuge

because of potential harm to the

area's caribou population and other wildlife. They argue that because most of

Alaska's Arctic coastline is already open to development, the wildlife refuge should

be protected.

on foreign oil, I'm for.

Then we wouldn't be beholden to those numbskulls in Saudi etc.

If you think about it. . . the US would really be able to make strides toward supporting democracy in the region if it weren't so concerned about the oil flow. As it is, we support any stable regime, regardless of its record on democracy, civil rights or human rights because we need the oil.

On the other hand, with the exception of Israel and Turkey, there is no significant movement towards democracy and civil rights in the region. So maybe those folks are going to spend another century living in the middle ages!

I would have to agree with you, curt for the most part.

We do need to end our dependance on petroleum products.

However, drilling in a national wildlife preserve should not be the answer.

Also, Isreal may be one of the "only bastions of democracy" in the Middle East; however, the U.S. ignores the genocide that Sharon is leading against the Palistinians.

Say what you will, but oil has royally screwed up this world in more ways than one.

you MUST remember that Israel is a small nation SURROUNDED by people who will not recognize its right to exist. It is surrounded by fanatics who will commit suicide attacks so that the Jews can be pushed into the Med.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians are treated like lepers by the rest of the Arab world.

I can't imagine how you can accuse Israel of genocide.

Maybe you need to quit taking your views, spoon fed, from the people who are manufacturing the consent. Our weapons dependent Jewish friends in the middle east are at this very moment stealing land that doesn't belong to them. For some reason, so many Americans have a hard time putting themselves in Palestine shoes. How would you like it if you were thrown off of your property, and had your community terrorized my Jewish marshal law. Genocide? Hell yes their into genocide. They are doing their best to push innocent people off of their land and out of their country. And they are killing many with those actions. What kind of "pink cloud" definition of genocide are you operating with? Why can't Americans face up to the fact that they have criminals for elected officials, who will crawl across broken glass on their knees to suck a corp. penis. If we want to do something about the oil shortage, lets get rid of the ego gratifying SUVs that get 15 miles per gallon. Lets go to one car per family. Shit, lets just fill up our tires with the proper air pressure, that will end a mountain of oil dependence. Tune up our engines. Get off of our fat American asses and walk to the damned 7-11. We don't need to destroy Alaska for the oil boys. But we sure as hell need to wake up before they destroy us. What a pathetic bunch of spoiled brats we Americans are. We deserve what ever comes our way for the way we have treated the world, so that we can live on easy street.

The oil available is Alaska would run our country for a few months at best. Personally I think the entire tactic is diversional propaganda to take the heat off of the fact that our dictator is expecting to get all his oil from the Caspian after we install our Corpo-Puppet-Gov in Afganistan.

Not clear what the basis for saying, "Only a few months" worth of oil there.