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Senate OKs oil drilling in the Arctic

 
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Rdtf
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:31 pm    Post subject: Senate OKs oil drilling in the Arctic Reply with quote

Here comes panic from the 'left' field
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050316-114417-5777r

Quote:
March 17, 2005

Senate OKs oil drilling in the Arctic
By Stephen Dinan
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Nation/Politics section
The Senate voted yesterday to allow drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, riding the strength of Republicans' increased majority to overcome years of failure on the issue and deliver on one of President Bush's campaign promises.
Senators voted 51-49 to keep in the budget provisions to allow drilling, although drilling supporters said they still must survive a series of other tests, including final passage of the budget. But yesterday's vote gave them hope.
"This is an indicator," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican. "A majority in the Senate support opening up ANWR for exploration."
Fellow Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens seemed relieved after working 24 years to win approval.
"This was a very close vote, and I'm delighted to be here, trying to smile again," said Mr. Stevens, who last week told reporters that he was "clinically depressed" because of the long struggle.
The provision allows for drilling on up to 2,000 acres of the 1.5 million-acre coastal plain of the refuge, and supporters argued that doing so would be good for Alaska's economy and for American energy independence.
But environmental groups said the roads and drilling operations would damage the area and promised to redouble their efforts to defeat the bill in upcoming legislative tests.
"We know the Arctic refuge is not the answer to America's energy needs. It contains a few months' worth of oil at national consumption levels," said Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation. "The first drop would not come online for a decade. Drilling in the Arctic won't make a dent in America's energy imports."
Both the House and Senate are working to pass their versions of the budget by the end of this week.

The ANWR vote came after years of failed attempts. In March 2003, drilling opponents were successful, voting 52-48 to deny drilling. Drilling opponents also won a year earlier, with 54 senators voting to uphold a filibuster to prevent consideration of drilling.
Drilling did pass as part of the budget in 1995, after Republicans won control of Congress, but President Clinton vetoed the budget reconciliation package that year.
Drilling opponents said including the provision in this year's budget was a sneaky way to avoid a filibuster.
"This is an abuse of power. It's also an abuse of common sense," said Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, who sent out a fund-raising e-mail to try to stir up opposition. "Once again, special-interest effort is defeating the desires of the American people to preserve wilderness."
In other budget action, Democrats, joined by five Republicans, lost an effort to make it harder for Mr. Bush to win extension of his tax cuts.
On a 50-50 vote, they failed to change budget rules that require only a simple majority to pass tax cuts beyond what's called for in the budget. Increases in spending beyond what the budget specifies require 60 votes to pass.
"Fair is fair," said Sen. George V. Voinovich, Ohio Republican, who led the fight for the change along with Sen. Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat.
Some Republicans called the amendment a back-door tax increase, and others said Congress must focus on spending cuts.
"I urge my colleagues, vote against this so-called pay-go provision and let's go with this [budget] resolution the way it was written," said Sen. Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican. "I hope we can get a conference report through. Because if we don't, we're doomed. If we can't do these little tiny cuts, wait until we really have to deal with the big choice."
Meanwhile in the House, Republican leaders headed off a revolt among some conservatives.
The leaders agreed to new rules sought by conservatives that would require a specific vote to break budget caps on spending bills that exceed the level authorized in the budget. Conservatives had threatened to join Democrats in opposing the budget, which would have ensured the measure's failure.
Republicans also headed off Democrats' attempt to force an early vote against a plan to include private accounts as part of Social Security, defeating a procedural motion as part of the budget debate.
The House budget does not include a provision to allow drilling in ANWR, although stand-alone measures have passed the House frequently and Republican aides said to expect the House to agree to drilling as part of the final budget conference report.
Sen. George Allen, Virginia Republican and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the last election cycle, said yesterday's Senate vote was a direct result of Republican gains in November's elections.
New supporters Sens. Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, Mel Martinez of Florida, John Thune of South Dakota and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, replaced Democratic Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina, Bob Graham of Florida, Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Ernest F. Hollings of South Carolina. They offset new opponent Sen. Ken Salazar, Colorado Democrat.
Mr. Allen also said the issue helped Republicans retain Mrs. Murkowski's seat. Even though she and her opponent supported drilling, Republicans were able to run ads of Mr. Clinton smiling as he vetoed the 1995 budget bill that included drilling.
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GM Strong
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drilling holes and building refining capacity will create American jobs. We are also the best in the world at doing this cleanly and efficiently. Lets go! Time's awasting. If the Liberals and Democrats are truly concerned about good jobs and a vibrant economy, they will get on board now as the train is finally leaving the station.
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank heavens - finally some movement in the right direction!

I missed that, so thanks for posting it.
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rparrott21
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MAKING THE CASE FOR ANWR DEVELOPMENT

Too Much Imported Oil: Bad for the Economy


As domestic oil production continued its decline, the U.S. imported 58% of its petroleum needs in 2004. These oil imports cost more than $150 billion and robbed tens of thousands of steady, high-paying jobs from American workers.

More than 20,000 foreign supertankers (most single-hulled) offloaded oil at east, west and gulf coast refineries last year; they carry from 700,000 to 1.2 million barrels a day from Iraq alone. Foreign oil is produced and shipped under less strict environmental standards than domestic oil. Alaska's oil fields are the cleanest in the world, second to none.

Through shortsighted actions, Congress and federal agencies have banned oil activity from more than 300 million acres of federal land onshore and more than 460 million acres offshore in the past 20 years. An estimated 67% of oil reserves and 40% of natural gas reserves are on federal lands in America's western states.

Eighty-eight percent of the energy for America's transportation, industry, government and residential needs comes from oil, gas and coal. No combination of conservation, technology or alternatives can come close to replacing these fossil fuels. It will take years for research, testing, permitting, construction, and distribution systems for replacement alternatives to be realized. When alternative energy sources become practical and economical, Americans will use them. Until then, fossil fuels must be relied upon.

Today's domestic oil production comes from more than 150,000 wells scattered throughout the country; they average 15 barrels a day. There have been no new major discoveries in the 48 contiguous states in thirty years. As the U.S. population increases, the nation must either produce more or import more. Alaska's Arctic is the most promising area for the largest supply with the smallest physical impact.

The U.S. economy benefits from domestic production when new construction, service, manufacturing, and engineering jobs are created. These jobs occur in all 50 states. A national impact study by Wharton Econometrics estimates total employment at full production in ANWR to be 735,000 jobs. Federal revenues would be enhanced by billions of dollars from bonus bids, lease rentals, royalties and taxes.

Alaska's Experience as an Energy Supplier

Discovery of the gigantic Prudhoe Bay oilfield was announced in July 1968, the largest deposit ever found in North America. (Environmentalists called it a "few months' supply.") Nine years, 7.7 billion dollars, and 1,347 government permits later, Americans cheered as oil began flowing through the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

Since July 1977, the pipeline has carried more than 13 billion barrels of oil from Alaska's North Slope. During that time Alaska oil has supplied 20% of domestic production, amounting to nearly a $300 billion offset to the national trade deficit. Natural gas, produced with the oil, continues to be reinjected pending studies to determine feasibility of a pipeline to U.S. markets. Prudhoe Bay gas reserves are 30.9 trillion cubic feet.

Today the Alaska oil pipeline carries less than half its capacity; thus the search continues for new supply to keep it operating. (Without it, the entire system must eventually be decommissioned and removed.) The coastal plain of ANWR, 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and with similar geology, is America's most prospective area for another giant oil field.

Studies of the ANWR coastal plain indicate it may contain between 6 and 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil (between 11.6 and 31.5 billion barrels in-place). With enhanced recovery technology, ANWR oil could provide an additional 30 to 50 years of reliable supply. Natural gas, produced with the oil, could be reinjected or added to a new gas pipeline originating in Prudhoe Bay.

Petroleum development at Prudhoe Bay has not negatively affected wildlife. For instance, the Central Arctic caribou herd is at home with pipeline facilities and has grown from 3,000 to as high as 27,100 in the last 20 years. Drilling activity in ANWR would be limited to winter months when wildlife does not frequent the coastal plain.

Constantly improving technology has greatly reduced the footprint of Arctic oil development. If Prudhoe Bay were built today, facility designs show the footprint would be 64% smaller.






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highwayman
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

this goes to show how anti buissness and anti initiative the liberals are and how negative they are....

to begin with the "national forrest/reserve" is in all effect a frozen desart...the picture the left paints of the area is a teeming rain forrest.with tall trees and abundant wild life....the diferent species of wildlife up there can be counted on both hands....this goes to show how out of touch they are and how they are driven to have power over the day to day life of the american people....

what rely burns my a** is how the demo's manipulate
the facts to work on the fear and lack of information of the american population...
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wwIIvetsdaughter
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do enviro-nazis live without electricity or gasoline? He** no. Evil or Very Mad
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highwayman
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ahh but the ones that don't think everyone shouldn't....sounds like the train of thought is this planet would be better off without the human as a species....
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PhantomSgt
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally!!! That oil doesn't do anyone any good by staying in the ground and our National Security is at stake when we depend on crooked foreign potentates for most of our supplies. OPEC's stranglehold on the world economy must be mitigated by rapid exploitation of our own natural resources balanced by an aggressive search for alternative sources of energy.

Advances in Nuclear Power generation systems now provide a safe and clean operating environment. We need to put Three Mile Island behind us and put more plants online quickly. The Euros have outpaced the USA on development and deployment of plants around the world to become the leaders in Nuclear Technology. If we want to bring the Euros back to our side let them participate in the building of 100 Nuclear Power Facilities around the USA and eliminate oil, coal and gas fired plants.

We will keep them so busy they won't have time to export this technology to our enemies and Chirac will lose his hold on the Euro economy.

Once the plants are paid off in the future electric bills will fall to 1950 levels for our citizens in the future.






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Last edited by PhantomSgt on Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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GM Strong
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 1:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jonah Goldberg of NRO wrote a good article in 2001 on his visit to the North Slope and ANWR.

http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/goldberg200503180758.asp

This is what he saw.


Canning rRiver flows into the Arctic Sea

Prudhoe oil site

Coastal tundra

Notice, no trees, no mountains, empty space and open flat tundra is it.
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Sailor in the Desert
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 5:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some thing that is rarely mentioned is that when ANWR was created, there was a tract set aside for oil exploration. That tract is the same tract that the Senate has approved for drilling. While this is 10 years late in coming, hopefully it will serve as a stopgapuntil other energy resources are brought on line.
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msindependent
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree, it's about time. Drill away.
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rparrott21
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Love this mountain shot..and look at the animals grazing..

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rparrott21
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is a present rig in Alaska...

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rparrott21
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Democrats would have you believe it will be like this..

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