Your Call to Action: Speak Out Against Drilling in ANWR
by TreeHugger on 03.18.05
As everyone probably knows by now, President Bush won a major coup for his energy policy on Wednesday, when his Budget Bill, and an amendment attached to that will open an areas of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling, passed. GOP leaders in the Senate succeeded in attaching that amendment to the 2006 budget resolution as a potential source of revenue. The move sidestepped a filibuster by Democrats which would have required 60 votes because the budget resolution required only a 51-vote majority. Though the margin was narrow (51-49), it was still a big loss for environmentalists.
Now, before you get out your minus-60-degree sleeping bag and stage a sit-in on the tundra... [...Keep reading to take action!!]
realize that this doesn’t exactly mean drilling teams will be polishing and sharpening their bits next week. First of all, the budget still has to pass in the House of Representatives. Second, although the GOP has itself convinced that drilling up north could be a potential source of revenue and could decrease dependence on foreign oil, the exploration companies—for whom it really all comes down to the bottom line—may not be totally convinced. The fact is, the amount of "economically recoverable oil" available, is extremely difficult to estimate, and may not be financially worth the effort to recover. And at the end of the day, ANWR, according to drilling opponents, is likely to contain less than a year's worth of oil—and none of that would reach the U.S. market for at least 10 years. If that’s true, then in a lot ways—and for a lot of years—we’d still be dependent on foreign oil.
As TreeHuggers, we know you are people of conviction and action, and so here we urge you to write to your senator and representatives. If, like me, you’re Senators voted against the bill, go ahead and say thanks for the good work. But you don’t have to write only to your own Senators, you can write to all of ‘em and let ‘em know what you think. Not a U.S. citizen? Who cares. You’re a citizen of the world, and this a global situation. Please let them know what you think. Here’s how: Link to the League of Conservation Voters, which gives you direct access to send your message to a Senator or a member of the House.
Thanks for reading, and for responding. And thanks to Jay Miller, for always lighting a fire under our butt. Via ::Christian Science Monitor Image Via ::Lucia Lavilla Havelin [by MO]
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Bush Administration to Open Public Lands Near Utah's National Parks for Natural Gas and Oil Drilling
- Arrr, Thar Be Oil Under Them Icebergs!
- BLM Issues New Rules for Oil Shale Development: Last Minute Bush Administration Environmental Trashing?
- Acronym Alert: AWWI, The American Wind Wildlife Institute
there is an "email your lawmaker" form available at http://savethearctic.com
This was not about making a pragmatic choice. It was about tipping a sacred cow of traditional conservation interests: a playground bully pushing kids down kind of a thing. If pragmatism was important they'd focus IMMEDIATELY on finding safe places to develope LNG ports. If pragmatism was important they'd focus very soon on boosting the electrical grids that are needed to carry wind power from the Dakotas.
Which oil industry will tempt fate and announce their bid to develop, risking boycotts, shareholder resolutions, pension fund dumping of stocks, and public image smashing? I have a hunch they will wait a bit to see if the cow gets back up.
Alaskan legislators are simply doing the bidding of middle class urban-dwelling Alaskans. No income tax to speak of. Almost ALL of that state's revenue streams come from oil and gas revenues,a dn those are starting to thin down. This is a scratch your back plan as much as a cow tipping bullying activity I fear. Lets hear from some Alaskans????
The previous post brings up a very important point. Which oil company will be willing to brave the public furor and risk the negative publicity of being the first to spoil ANWR? Considering that several oil companies already consider ANWR unviable, public pressure on the oil companies themselves could discourage any oil company from proceeding with drilling in ANWR. (They'd much prefer to keep a low profile and focus on other, less controversial, drilling sites.) Simply because George W. says "we must drill" and can convince 51 people to vote with him, doesn't mean any company has to listen.
Hey!
Ok...well i would just like to say that...i myself would not like to see animals homes destroyed...its sad...and depressing...but i would also like for you to note the fact that the gas prices are going up and that they are going to use only 8% of the land...which is only about 2,000 acres...so i think you can get over it...i mean I'm probably younger than all of you...and i have more sense than you...because the fact is...the world will eventually blow up or crumble into space. so we need to get the best out of it that we can...(i'm not saying sin...or blow houses and animal homes) I'm just saying that you need to chill and that camping out in the tundra would only get you killed...im sorry but camping out in the freezing lands of Alaska would not be my choice of a vactaion...some of my family lives up there and im not agruing....
SO HA!
bye
The truth is that the United states will always participate in a world energy market. We consume way more oil than we can produce in ANWR or anywhere else, but as long as you keep turning that key in your ignition we must have oil. All you pretenders who think that petroleum is going to phase out are in denial. Hydrogen is far too expensive and dependant on it's extraction from other elements. You speak falsely of the facts when you say, "the amount of economically recoverable oil available, is extremely difficult to estimate." The truth is people with far more experience in this matter than you do have answers to that question. If you or anyone else would like to take a look at some substatiated fact, rather than speculation and weak opposition,go to your local library and look up, The hearing before the Committee on energy and natural resources, United states senate, July 18, 1995. I think it would do you some good to look at what our representatives deal with on a daily basis. They are well informed and deal with more pressing issues than caribou herds, which I might add have seen an increase from 6,000 too 27,000 head in ANWR's neighbor Prudhoe Bay.
I think we should just kill all the animals for fun. The oil is just a benfit. Utterly destroying some defenseless animal's habitat has been my dream. I live in AK and I want to drill there because it will give my state tons of money.