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Dooney & Bourke

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Senate Approves Drilling in Alaska Refuge
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Senate Approves Drilling in Alaska Refuge





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 Politics - U. S. Congress

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday to approve oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, a major victory for President Bush (news - web sites) and a stinging defeat for environmentalists who have fought the idea for decades.











Photo
AP Photo


 

By a 51-49 vote, the Senate put a refuge drilling provision in next year's budget, depriving opponents of the chance to use a filibuster to try to block it. Filibusters, which require 60 votes to overcome, have been used to defeat drilling proposals in the past.


"This project will keep our economy growing by creating jobs and ensuring that businesses can expand," Bush said in a statement. "And it will make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, eventually by up to a million barrels of oil a day."


Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska, who has fought for 24 years to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies, acknowledged it still could be "a long process" before a final drilling measure clears Congress. Lawmakers must agree on the final budget, something they failed to do last year, or Wednesday's vote would have been for naught.


Also, the House did not include an Arctic refuge measure in its budget, a difference that will have to be worked out in future negotiations.


Nevertheless, the Senate made clear by Wednesday's vote that a majority now supports tapping what is believed to be 10.4 billions or more of barrels of oil within the refuge's 1.5 million-acre coastal plain, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska. Two years ago, a similar attempt to use the budget process to open the refuge failed by three votes.


But that was before Republicans last November expanded their majority, adding a number of GOP senators who favor drilling. Only seven Republicans, all moderates, bucked their party Wednesday and voted with most Democrats against opening the refuge.


Environmentalists said while the vote was disappointing, they haven't given up the fight. "It only strengthens our resolve to protect America's most pristine national wildlife refuge for our children's future," said Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation.


"The battle is far from over," said Lexi Keogh of the Alaska Wilderness League. She said environmentalists will push to keep the ANWR provision out of a final budget document.


The oil industry has sought for more than two decades to get access to the oil. In 1980, Congress said the oil could be developed, but only if lawmakers specifically authorized the Interior Department to sell oil leases. Repeatedly Congress has failed to do so.


Environmentalists for years have fought such development, contending it would lead to a spider web of drilling platforms, pipelines and roads that would adversely impact the calving grounds of caribou, polar bears and millions of migratory birds that use the refuge's coastal plain.


"The fact is it's going to be destructive," Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., said during debate on an amendment that would have stripped the drilling language from the budget measure. Democrats fell two votes short of the 51 needed.


Kerry and other drilling opponents argued that more oil would be saved than ANWR could produce if Congress enacted an energy policy focusing on conservation, more efficient cars and trucks and increased reliance on renewable fuels.


Drilling supporters countered that the refuge's oil can be pumped while still protecting the environment and wildlife.


Modern technology, drilling techniques and environmental restrictions would dramatically limit the industrial footprint that would be left on the tundra and protect wildlife, said Murkowski. "We know we've got to do it right. ... It's a fragile environment."


One GOP senator after another argued that with foreign imports accounting for more than half of the oil the country uses, every available barrel should be pursued. The Alaska refuge represents the largest potential onshore oil find in the country, they said.


"Some people say we ought to conserve more. They say we ought to conserve instead of producing this oil. But we need to do everything. We have to conserve and produce where we can," said Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.






 



But drilling opponents rejected the suggestion that ANWR's oil would have much impact on global markets, today's high oil and gasoline prices, or the continued U.S. reliance on foreign producers.

"We won't see this oil for 10 years. It will have minimal impact," argued Sen. Maria Cantwell (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash. It is "foolish to say oil development and a wildlife refuge can coexist."

Cantwell and other Democrats accused Republicans of trying "an end run" by attaching the refuge provisions to the budget, saying the question of drilling in an ecologically pristine refuge — a "special place" as many environmentalists called it — should be debated as separate legislation or as part of a broad energy bill.

"It's the only way around the filibuster," countered Stevens, defending the use of the budget process. He said that approach is justified for issues that have special importance such as getting at ANWR's oil, something he characterized as a matter of "national security."



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Hermes

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Bush is an evil, evil man who is only interested in self gain at the detriment to all that remains on the planet...


 


Seriously now - does everyone realize that there is not an endless supply of oil? That it's a natural resource that cannot be replenished? There is not an oil making machine beneath the Earth's crust...  Between population growth, increased vehicle ownership, and increased oil consumption (think about the newly booming automotive industry in China) the human race will most likely deplete our oil resources (to the point where we can no longer depend on it as a fuel resource) approximately around 2020?  That's in most of our lifetimes.  Oil resources will continue to decline and oil prices will continue to increase and it's not some republican plot to squeeze money from people.  When the day comes where you find yourself paying a huge amount of money to put gas in your car you're going to learn about the untapped oil we have here in the states and wonder why we never took advantage of it. 


 


I am a huge wildlife lover and a supporter of environmental causes, but this isn't going to have the impact that deforestation of the Amazon has.  Instead of bitching and whining about tapping our rapidly decreasing resources, maybe that energy would be better spent demanding increased urgency of the development of viable alternative fuels. 


 

D1. Oil Discovery (3 year average - past and projected) 1930-2050

Oil Discovery past and projected


This chart shows how oil discoveries have been dropping since the 1960s. New major discoveries only last for a few years - the trend line continues. The orange line indicates annual consumption. To avoid the problems of oil depletion, we would not only have to slow the discovery curve but reverse it so that annual discoveries moved above the consumption line (or the line fell). Neither option seems likely.


Source: ASPO


 http://wolf.readinglitho.co.uk/mainpages/discoveries.html



-- Edited by detroit at 08:34, 2005-03-17

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RyanJ


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I always thought I wanted to avoid the politcal topics because I thought they would just piss me off, but I actually find it all amusing.

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Dooney & Bourke

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quote:
Originally posted by: detroit
"Bush is an evil, evil man who is only interested in self gain at the detriment to all that remains on the planet...   

Yes, you are right about that. 


It is precisely because of the depletion of the world's supply of oil that they should NOT drill in ANWR.  Sad to ruin pristine wilderness forever to meet a short-term need.  This is exactly why they should be investigating alternative fuels instead of just looking for more areas to drill.  Instead of wasting THEIR time arguing about this and pushing the agenda of the oil lobby, they should be looking at ways to increase fuel efficiency (requiring SUVs to meet the same standards as cars, for example).  And no, I do not think it's any coincidence that this is happening during Bush the Texan oil guy's regime. 



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Hermes

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quote:
Originally posted by: dc
" This is exactly why they should be investigating alternative fuels instead of just looking for more areas to drill.  Instead of wasting THEIR time arguing about this and pushing the agenda of the oil lobby, they should be looking at ways to increase fuel efficiency (requiring SUVs to meet the same standards as cars, for example). "

I agree, time and money would be better spent focusing on alternative fuels.  The thing is joe blow consumer (and even the bleeding heart liberal joe blow consumer ) doesn't want to compromise their consumption or pay more for alt. fuels at their current state.  The thing is that we we will need this oil eventually - due to consumer consumption and that the automakers are not currently in a place be be able to offer alt fuel vehicle options that are efficient and affordable.  I just don't see consumers (the majority) stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for oil consumption or reducing use - it's just not going to happen unless they are forced to - thus the need for this oil.  It's much easier to complain instead of enacting solutions. 


Not to get totally off the subject, but it's similar to Democrats complaining about reduced spending on social programs - do they really need those funds to be forced from their pockets? If they truly feel there is extreme injustice in taking money from social programs, why don't they take the money they would be taxed out of their pockets to cover these expenses that would have been taken under a Democratic government and pay directly?  Why can't people take matters into their own hands and create a solution? Do they really need government to force them?  So, getting back to the oil situation - why doesn't everyone just sell their car and take the bus? Maybe we should all buy alternative fuel vehicles instead of placing the blame of our consumption on a government body...


Here's a hybrid Accord that starts at 30 grand - not in mid America's price range...


http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Accord+Hybrid&bhcp=1&BrowserDetected=True


And here's the Honda Insight... more affordable, but is it practical? it would be like driving a moped.  I couldn't imagine taking it out on a Detroit area highway - I would be road kill...


http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Insight


are there any other options anyone wants to suggest?



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katya


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quote:
Originally posted by: detroit
"

Here's a hybrid Accord that starts at 30 grand - not in mid America's price range...
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Accord+Hybrid&bhcp=1&BrowserDetected=True
And here's the Honda Insight... more affordable, but is it practical? it would be like driving a moped.  I couldn't imagine taking it out on a Detroit area highway - I would be road kill...
http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Insight
are there any other options anyone wants to suggest?"


These hybrid cars are a good start, but there's much more we can do. You made some excellent points about taking matters into our own hands and bitching less. I have been riding my bike as much as possible lately (my simple form of oil protest), but I live in a city where drivers HATE bike riders in the streets (they will honk and yell at you, or worse hit you - this actually happened to me and the driver took off w/o checking if I was ok) and you can get tickets from the cops for riding on the sidewalks. What about alternative transportation? subways/lightrails? My city voted against a light rail (not surprised) but can we at least upgrade our sorry excuse for a bus system? Alternative fuels? Some of the buses here run on vegetable oil.

There are also downsides to the hybrid vehicles. I guess (and I don't know everything about them) they are the best for city driving (lot's of stops/starts, etc) but rely on the gas for long trips. My brother was telling me that some companies bought hybrids for their employees who take a lot of road trips, thinking they would save $$ on gas (not b/c they're environmentally concerned). But the cars weren't saving the co's a sgnificant amt. of $$ so now they're pissed.

But then there are so many other things oil's involved in that have nothing to do with driving a car (plastics, etc). We need to find renewable alternatives for oil in many different avenues & industries, not just gasoline. I actually cried this morning at work when I found out about the Alaskan W.R. When will we stop? When it's gone or when we're gone?

BTW: I think the Honda Civic hybrid is only $20K, which is actually $2K cheaper than my car was when I bought it new (Pontiac Vibe -2003). Perhaps the price will keep dropping? I seem to remember a few years ago, the gov't would give you a $2K refund if you bought a hybrid (I don't think they do this anymore). But then last year they were giving WAY more in refunds to people who bought a Hummer, or something like that. Does anyone know more about this?

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Hermes

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quote:

Originally posted by: katya
" These hybrid cars are a good start, but there's much more we can do. You made some excellent points about taking matters into our own hands and bitching less. I have been riding my bike as much as possible lately (my simple form of oil protest), but I live in a city where drivers HATE bike riders in the streets (they will honk and yell at you, or worse hit you - this actually happened to me and the driver took off w/o checking if I was ok) and you can get tickets from the cops for riding on the sidewalks. What about alternative transportation? subways/lightrails? My city voted against a light rail (not surprised) but can we at least upgrade our sorry excuse for a bus system? Alternative fuels? Some of the buses here run on vegetable oil. There are also downsides to the hybrid vehicles. I guess (and I don't know everything about them) they are the best for city driving (lot's of stops/starts, etc) but rely on the gas for long trips. My brother was telling me that some companies bought hybrids for their employees who take a lot of road trips, thinking they would save $$ on gas (not b/c they're environmentally concerned). But the cars weren't saving the co's a sgnificant amt. of $$ so now they're pissed. But then there are so many other things oil's involved in that have nothing to do with driving a car (plastics, etc). We need to find renewable alternatives for oil in many different avenues & industries, not just gasoline. I actually cried this morning at work when I found out about the Alaskan W.R. When will we stop? When it's gone or when we're gone? BTW: I think the Honda Civic hybrid is only $20K, which is actually $2K cheaper than my car was when I bought it new (Pontiac Vibe -2003). Perhaps the price will keep dropping? I seem to remember a few years ago, the gov't would give you a $2K refund if you bought a hybrid (I don't think they do this anymore). But then last year they were giving WAY more in refunds to people who bought a Hummer, or something like that. Does anyone know more about this?"


wow - you are impressive... now tell me about some of the busses running on vegetable oil - where do you live? living in the motor city, public transportation is not a solution for me - this is the land of the car and everybody's got one.  The city I live in doesn't have bus stops (the bus drives through and has stops in surrounding cities - but not in my city.)  you must be in a warmer climate to be able to ride your bike all the time - plus - the world is so not set up to accomodate pedestrians and bikes - but I admire you for doing what you can do as an individual to try to make a difference.  And yes - excellent point about petroleum and plastics in general - just think how much we take plastic for granted... as far as the pipeline - yeah - it sucks - next it's going to be drilling in the ocean - there's huge reserves there, but it's just extremely expensive to tap...  I am not aware of the hybrid purchasing incentives from the government - but to dc's point the money could be better spent toward researching  alt fuels or even as a rebate incentive to those who purchase hybrid vehicles.... I think that even with these incentives and by the time there is a viable alt fuel we will still be needing that oil... it's amazing in just a century we have almost depleted one of our most valuable natural resources... it's really sad it has come to this...


 



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katya


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Hey, detroit! I'm actually not too far from you; I live in Cincinnati. The Tank busses (they service northern Kentucky, but go back & forth across the river) are the ones running on the veg oil. I don't know if they do it year-round or just in the summer. Public transportation here isn't very reliable. It will take 45-1 hr. to get somewhere that would take you 10 min. to drive. It just isn't convenient or practical to rely only on public trans. The buses don't run late either, so you're stuck unless you take a cab ($$$$$), and they don't really take you far out of the immediate city area.

This city has a nasty climate (prob. similar to detroit): hot and unbearably humid summers, cold, bitter winters. I don't ride my bike in the winter for safety and comfort reasons (there's a lot of ice here in the winter & we have LOTS of hills). Riding in the summer sucks but it's also fun. I work downtown & live nearby. It takes me @ 10 minutes to drive to work, but I decided to ride my bike to work instead this past summer (I co-op for school in the summer & winter, so I don't work in the spring & fall when I'm in school). It only takes me 12 minutes to ride to work, and the ride wakes me up more than my morning cup of coffee. I saved over $90 in parking fees, got some exercise, and got some satisfaction in knowing I was helping ease the smog problem here. The ride to work in the am was ok (it wasn't too hot by then), but the ride home was torture!!!

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DC Shopper


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i agree w/ dc - the fact that we are going to run out of oil in a few short years underscores the need to put our money into RESEARCH for alternative fuels - not into destroying one of our last wild places for a short-term answer.  it makes no sense at all to me to drill there - what's the point?  is it really worth it?  i personally don't think so.  if we don't come up with a real answer to this problem real soon, we are gonna be so screwed.


detroit, you're right that most consumers won't change their behavior until forced to or offered a big old carrot.  That is the perfect argument for pricing gasoline at its real cost - Americans currently pay more for a gallon of water than a gallon of gas.  our government subsidizes our gas consumption in a variety of ways - this is not good public policy.  we are sticking our heads in the sand if we think this issue is just going to go away once we drill into Alaska!


we are also taking little initiative to put in place other policies that could reduce the need for cars - for instance by putting money into good public transportation, walkable communities, etc. 


once the hybrid technology becomes more finely tuned, prices for these cars will go down and become more affordable for the average consumer.  but support for developing this technology needs to be there.  plus, you save so much on gas - you only have to fill up like once a month.  i really want one, myself.



-- Edited by DC Shopper at 15:15, 2005-03-21

-- Edited by DC Shopper at 15:16, 2005-03-21

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