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U.S. Senate Approves Drilling in ANWR (1 Viewer)

crispycreme

Well-known member
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid the backdrop of soaring oil and gasoline prices, a sharply divided Senate on Wednesday voted to open the ecologically rich Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, delivering a major energy policy win for President Bush.

The Senate, by a 51-49 vote, rejected an attempt by Democrats and GOP moderates to remove a refuge drilling provision from next year's budget, preventing opponents from using a filibuster -- a tactic that has blocked repeated past attempts to open the Alaska refuge to oil companies.

The action, assuming Congress agrees on a budget, clears the way for approving drilling in the refuge later this year, drilling supporters said.

The oil industry has sought for more than two decades to get access to what is believed to be billions of barrels of oil beneath the 1.5 million-acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the northern eastern corner of Alaska. (Map)

Environmentalists have fought such development and argued that despite improve environmental controls a web of pipelines and drilling platforms would harm calving caribou, polar bears and millions of migratory birds that use the coastal plain.

Full article can be read here:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/16/arctic.drilling.ap/index.html

I don't even know what to say. I'm afraid this will set legal precedents for opening up all sorts of now-protected public lands for commercial purposes. The mother of all slippery slopes.

A terrible, terrible day for naturalists around the world. |=(||=(||=(|
 
crispycreme said:
I don't even know what to say. I'm afraid this will set legal precedents for opening up all sorts of now-protected public lands for commercial purposes. The mother of all slippery slopes.

A terrible, terrible day for naturalists around the world. |=(||=(||=(|

I guess I'll go out on a limb here and will declare that in my HUMBLE opinion, this stinks :C

It demonstrates an age-old problem inherent to conservation efforts, i.e., that you can win a hundred "victories" in saving a wild area, but you only need lose one time for the place to be degraded forever.

People should now keep a wary eye on what happens in ANWR to see whether indeed, this new oil exploration endeavor is as "ecologically friendly" and "sensitive to wildlife" as its proponents have claimed.
 
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Doug Greenberg said:
People should now keep a wary eye on what happens in ANWAR to see whether indeed, this new oil exploration endeavor is as "ecologically friendly" and "sensitive to wildlife" as its proponents have claimed.
If anyone believes this, I have a very large bridge for sale. Sickening!
 
Too depressing for words.

Out of interest here's how people voted:

(A "yea" vote is in favor of deleting the language to drill in the Arctic Refuge)

Alabama:
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska:
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Arizona:
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas:
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California:
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:
Allard (R-CO), Nay
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut:
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Delaware:
Biden (D-DE), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Florida:
Martinez (R-FL), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia:
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii:
Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Idaho:
Craig (R-ID), Nay
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
Illinois:
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Indiana:
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Iowa:
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas:
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky:
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana:
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine:
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland:
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts:
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Michigan:
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota:
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Dayton (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi:
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Lott (R-MS), Nay
Missouri:
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Talent (R-MO), Nay
Montana:
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Burns (R-MT), Nay
Nebraska:
Hagel (R-NE), Nay
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada:
Ensign (R-NV), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire:
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Sununu (R-NH), Nay
New Jersey:
Corzine (D-NJ), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico:
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Domenici (R-NM), Nay
New York:
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Dole (R-NC), Nay
North Dakota:
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio:
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma:
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon:
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:
Santorum (R-PA), Nay
Specter (R-PA), Nay
Rhode Island:
Chafee (R-RI), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina:
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
Graham (R-SC), Nay
South Dakota:
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee:
Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Frist (R-TN), Nay
Texas:
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah:
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Vermont:
Jeffords (I-VT), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
Virginia:
Allen (R-VA), Nay
Warner (R-VA), Nay
Washington:
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:
Byrd (D-WV), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin:
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming:
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Thomas (R-WY), Nay
 
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It can get even more depressing. There is a lot of rumbling about oil shale again. With oil prices this high, they may be able to make it work. If they do, the West will never be the same.

Mike
 
KCFoggin said:
If anyone believes this, I have a very large bridge for sale. Sickening!

Well, the truth is, I'm afraid I agree with KC, but I'm trying--scrupulously--to be "fair" in my comments. :)

I do think that the impacts of the upcoming drilling operations will be less than they would have been thirty or fifty years ago, but in the context of "bringing a definitive human presence to an unspoiled landscape," just about any permanent structures/activities will cause harm to the ecosystem. Sigh.

Doug
 
The vote was close-only two in it.
Looks like 7 Republicans voted against...but 3 Democrats voted in favour-two from Hawaii & one from Louisiana ??

Is the area being drilled a large one ?
I know....it only takes one oil spill.

Colin
 
and Paul Wolfowitz is Bush's choice for the new head of the World Bank

just how does the President of the USA choose the head of the World Bank?

no wonder so many people are very poor and very very angry

Tim
 
Don't give up!

Jos Stratford said:
Tragic, though given the present administration it is unfortunately not a surprise.

Tragic too that half of the American voting public voted for the jerk based solely on his moral platform. This administration has done NOTHING good for the environment. For someone who supposedly is devoutly religious this spoiling of nature and God's creation is the ultimate in hypocrisy as far as I'm concerned. :C

Tell as many people as you can to write their congressional representatives and maybe we can stop it. Here are some links Natural Resources Defense Council, Audubon, and National Wildlife Federation for ideas for letters. Remember to edit them with your own sentiment so they have more impact.

Carl
 
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Amazing that this went by so easily. I guess it shows that besides the politicians (whom I never respect, only vote for) even the people don't really care.

I find that people are less and less in touch with nature each decade. Urban people, suburban people. Don't know about the rest.
 
Hypocrites

Sad indeed, but what is the root cause for the drilling .our unabashed consumerism.we all have to look in the mirror ,and realize that with our greed for more, we are contributing to this .
 
Tero said:
Amazing that this went by so easily. I guess it shows that besides the politicians (whom I never respect, only vote for) even the people don't really care.

I find that people are less and less in touch with nature each decade. Urban people, suburban people. Don't know about the rest.

It doesn't show anything...let's not be fooled by thinking the world will be changed by a few birders putting the world to right in a birdforum reply box.
 
Bush has absolutely no morals or ethics when it comes to the environment, human rights or anything. Everyone knows that he's merely a puppet for th oil companies.

I'm ashamed to be an American.
 
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Tim Allwood said:
and Paul Wolfowitz is Bush's choice for the new head of the World Bank

just how does the President of the USA choose the head of the World Bank?

no wonder so many people are very poor and very very angry

Tim
The President of the USA does not choose him the World Bank does. Countries nominate their candidates. The US nominated Wolfowitz. There are some 37 candidates for the position.

http://www.worldbankpresident.org/archives/cat_taylor.php
 
paddleasia said:
Bush has absolutely no morals or ethics when it comes to the environment, human rights or anything. Everyone knows that he's merely a puppet for th oil companies.

I'm ashamed to be an American.

I think President Bush has at many morals as any person that drives a car, heats or cools their home, turns on a light, or types on a computer. All the things we take for granted and are willing to consume as long as someone else provides the raw oil stock for us.

Not to use our own natural resources and be obligated to other oil producing entities is not only foolish, it is immoral. Since Canada has shifted more of it's oil exports away from the US, it puts the US in a more vulnerable position in acquiring oil from some not so friendly nations.

The track record for previous oil exploration and cross-country transport in Alaska has been very good. There is no reason to believe that with today's technology it would not be better. Does that mean there is a 100% chance of no accidents? No, that is not reality, but we certainly can take every reasonable precaution to see that it does not.

I think this is long overdue and I'm proud to be an American using our own resources rather than foreign oil.
 
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