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Alaska Wild Update #187 - Aug 7, 2002 QUOTE OF THE WEEK "The
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is truly a unique, natural ecosystem, HEADLINES ENERGY CONFERENCE COMMITTEE SETS SUMMER SCHEDULE HOUSE RESOURCE COMMITTEE FAILS TO BRING UP YOUNG BILL CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES PASS RESOLUTIONS AGAINST DRILLING SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES LAND EXCHANGE IN TONGASS
Prior to the end of the last Energy Conference Committee meeting in July, Conference Chair Billy Tauzin (R-LA) outlined what the schedule would be for the remaining issues on the Energy bill. Tauzin noted his intentions for August staff talks and September conference meetings aimed at producing a conference report before Sept. 30. At an earlier meeting of the conferees, all the issue in the energy bill were divided into two groups: controversial or Tier I issues, and less controversial or Tier II issues. Tauzin said staff have been directed to finish work on Tier II issues during the August recess and then turn their attention to pipeline safety, energy research and development, Price Anderson and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). All four Tier I issues listed above and outstanding Tier II matters are then scheduled during the Sept. 9 formal conference meeting, with the first roll-call votes expected to iron out differences on CAFE, Price Anderson and pipeline safety.
September 23 is the last day scheduled for the Conference Committee. Tauzin expects the conferees then to take up the ethanol mandates, taxes, oil and gas, climate change. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge, the most controversial of all the provisions in the energy bill, is also expected to be addressed on September 23, along with any other outstanding Tier I issues. In order to wrap things up by Sept. 30, Tauzin pledged to keep conferees in open session from Sept. 23 through Sept. 30, if necessary, with the idea that two or three weeks in October might be leftover to move a conference report through the House and Senate floors. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), the Senate Energy Chair, agreed with the schedule and said staff are close to more agreements on the following Tier II issues: remaining energy efficiency provisions; clean coal research and development; Alaska natural gas pipeline construction to the North Slope; non-CAFE vehicle provisions; and rural/remote community needs.
In an effort to put more pressure on the Senate to accept a final energy bill that included drilling in the Arctic Refuge, Congressman Tauzin said that the House GOP had a strategy to link the uncertainties over Iraq with the need for drilling. Tauzin plans to spend the month of August trying to gather support among lawmakers for new drilling in Alaska. After the August recess, Mr. Tauzin will, in coordination with the White House, begin a "public relations campaign" to promote the contention that developing more domestic energy will reduce the nation's dependence on Iraq for steady supplies of oil.
Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), the lead sponsor of legislation in the House to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge from drilling, said in a Washington Times article "if national security is the question, then fuel-economy standards that are much higher for SUVs are the answer”. “If we want to deal with that issue [imports from Iraq], then drilling in the Arctic is not the answer,” said Markey.
In the past, oil company executives have testified that it could take as long as ten years before any oil from drilling in the refuge would be available for public consumption. The United States could reduce its dependency on foreign sources of oil much faster through conservation, such as mandating more fuel-efficient cars.
Tauzin said that he believed it was “50-50” on whether or not Arctic drilling would be in the final report. Senator Bingaman disagreed, saying “I don't see any opinions changed by the effort to do that linkage [linking Arctic drilling with Iraq].
In the past week, Tauzin has made “a half dozen journeys to the other side of the Capitol to engage Democratic senators and urge them to add their names to a bipartisan coalition that supports drilling in ANWR”, according to his spokesperson, Ken Johnson.
HOUSE RESOURCE COMMITTEE FAILS TO BRING UP YOUNG BILL As reported in AlaskaWild Update #185 (CONGRESSMAN YOUNG UP TO NO GOOD AGAIN), the House resource Committee was to mark up one of Congressman Don Young’s (R-AK) bills sometime in July. At the last meeting of the House Committee on Natural Resources on July 23, the Committee failed to mark up HR 3148, which would have resulted in a massive give-away of public lands in Alaska.
The bill, HR 3148, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) to give Vietnam veterans who are Alaska Natives the right to select and gain title to their choice of 160 acres of federal land anywhere in Alaska. Under ANCSA in 1971, all natives were allowed to choose an allotment of 160 acres. Since 1971 was during the Vietnam War, many Alaskan natives were serving in Vietnam at the time and missed out on their chance to claim an allotment. In 1998, a bill was passed to allow Alaskan Native Vietnam Veterans another opportunity during an 18-month period to claim land, if they had served during the years when the original ANCSA would have allowed them to claim an allotment. Lands could be chosen only in areas where ancestral use of the land had occurred, and could not take place in Federal land units such as National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, or National Forests.
Congressman Young’s current bill again opens up the land to be claimed by Native Vietnam Veterans. But HR 3148 dramatically expands what land can be claimed by completely eliminating the Federal land unit restriction, as well as the ancestral use provision. Under Young’s bill, land could be claimed anywhere, including anywhere in National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, or National Forests. Additionally, HR 3148 also expands those eligible to take allotments. Unlike in the 1998 bill, Young’s bill would allow anyone who was heir to a deceased Native Veteran to also be eligible. With the expanded eligibility and with no restrictions on land selection, HR 3148 would be the latest addition to the list of massive land give-aways in Alaska.
In the Resource Committee meeting on July 23, Congressman Young’s bill did not come up for consideration, although it was on the agenda. According to some sources, the Resource Committee will meet one more time in September and HR 3148 is likely to be on the agenda again, although it is likely to face some opposition from other members on the committee. CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES PASS RESOLUTION AGAINST DRILLING
“West Hollywood is sending a strong message to BP, Phillips Petroleum, ChevronTexaco, and ExxonMobil to leave America’s Arctic alone,” said Athan Manuel, director of the PIRG Arctic Wilderness Campaign. “The city joins the growing chorus of Americans, investors, and elected officials who want to see the Arctic Refuge protected from oil and gas drilling.”
The resolution was filed as part of the PIRG’s Arctic Wilderness Campaign. The PIRG campaign targets the four companies who have expressed an interest in drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the last five percent of Alaska’s North Slope that has not been opened to drilling. It supports large populations of caribou, polar bears, musk oxen, and migratory birds.
Additionally, the Arctic Refuge is sacred to the Gwich’in Indians, the people of the caribou, who depend on the Porcupine Caribou herd for sustenance. The Department of Interior warns that drilling in the Arctic Refuge could harm or displace up to 40 percent of the Porcupine Caribou herd, which would in turn damage or destroy the culture of the Gwich’in as the herd is central to their way of life.
Congress and the Bush Administration have considered opening this region to drilling under pressure from the oil industry. However, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic Refuge contains less than six months worth of economically recoverable oil. Using the companies’ own real-world investment criteria, however, it appears that no oil can be profitably recovered from this pristine wilderness.
According to Councilman Jeffrey Prang, sponsor of the resolution, the city has a long tradition of supporting policies and programs that protect our natural environment.
“The City is proud to join with other organizations and citizens from across America in opposing the further exploitation of the unspoiled natural environment,” said Councilman Prang. Prang urged “the President and the administration to seek ways to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, thereby reducing pressure to explore deeper and deeper into the world’s limited remaining natural areas.”
For more information contact Athan Manuel, PIRG at amanuel@pirg.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * U.S.
Public Interest Research Group
S. 2222 would allow Cape Fox Corporation to exchange approximately 3,000 acres of land that has been logged and roaded near the George Inlet for 2,600 acres of Tongass National Forest lands. Also, the bill would have the Sealaska Corporation exchange the subsurface rights of the Cape Fox acreage for 9,300 acres of Tongass lands in the Berners Bay region north of Juneau.
The amendments do not improve the bill much, other than requiring an equal value exchange and replacement of some of the old growth habitat lost. The old growth replacement language falls far short of replacing all the old growth lost due to this exchange. The bottom line -- the bill still conveys a large chunk of public lands in Berners Bay to private corporations for cut-over and subsurface lands. More importantly, Cape Fox and Sealaska are likely to log their new lands, close off public access, and otherwise develop lands that are currently used by Juneau residents for recreation, hunting, and fishing.
As a consequence, the final bill, now reported to the whole Senate, is still not a desirable bill for the people of Alaska or the rest of the country. Please Sign your organization to the Comment Letter for the Tongass Wilderness Plan.
The Alaska Rainforest Campaign is circulating a letter for organizational sign-ons for the Tongass Wilderness Plan. Currently, the Tongass Wilderness Plan is approaching the end of the public comment period. If your organization (local, state, regional or national) is interested in joining this nationwide effort and would like to sign on the letter, then please send an email with the name of the organization and contact person to laurie@alaskacoalition.org. Collection of organizations for the sign-on letter will close on August 14, COB so that the final letter can be prepared for submission to the Forest Service by the comment period deadline. To see the full text of the letter, please visit http://www.alaskawild.org/tongass_sign-on_letter.html
2 MORE WAYS TO HELP
1.FORWARD THIS ALERT ON YOUR LISTSERVS AND EMAIL LISTS We want to get this alert sent far and wide to make sure that we have the broadest representation of organizations on board. So please take a minute and forward this alert on to your chapters, affiliates, listservs, etc.
2.SEND YOUR OWN LETTER ON YOUR ORGANIZATION'S LETTERHEAD We encourage your organization to send it's own comment letter for the Tongass Wilderness Plan. Comment can be sent to: USDA
FS Tongass NF Or fax to: 406-329-3556.
For additional analysis of the SEIS or other information on the Tongass Wilderness SEIS, please contact:
Laurie
Cooper
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