|
|
|
|
Alaska Wild Update #202 - May 9, 2003 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I have not included [Arctic drilling] in this bill,
even though I understand there were the votes on the Energy Committee
to do so, because I know the 60 votes are not here on the floor to break
a filibuster.” HEADLINES SENATE BEGINS CONSIDERATION
OF ARCTIC-LESS ENERGY BILL BP SELLING OFF INTEREST
IN NPR-A
This week the US Senate opened debate on the energy bill. The House passed their version of the energy bill on April 11, and included in it a provision for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate Energy Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) has said repeatedly that he has no intention of bringing Arctic drilling back into the bill. While the bill was moving through the committee, Domenici held true to his word and the issue never came up. Since the bill is now on the Senate floor, Domenici is no longer in control of the agenda. Since a bipartisan majority stopped an Arctic drilling provision from being in the budget resolution in March by a vote of 52-48, Republicans have admitted that drilling supporters do not have the 60 votes needed to stop a Senate filibuster of the drilling plan. "I think that is a shame, but I also am not about to sacrifice a broader energy policy over that single, though important issue," Domenici said as the Senate began debating the energy bill. Despite this admission, the administration still urges the Senate to approve Arctic drilling. In a Statement of Administration Policy from May 8th, the Bush administration writes “in particular, the Administration urges the Senate to adopt a provision, like the one included in [the House energy bill] to open a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to environmentally responsible oil and gas exploration and development.” Even without attempting another bruising battle over drilling in the Arctic, there are plenty of controversial issues still coming up in the Energy bill. Farm state Senators are looking to offer an amendment with a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which would double the level of production of ethanol in the next decade. The bulk of the debate is expected to be dominated by a handful of issues namely ethanol, fuel economy standards, electricity, Indian energy, merger review language and climate change. Several hundred amendments have been filed overall and the Republican leadership has set aside time all the way into June for extending the debate so the bill can be finished. Although there is no indication at this time as to any amendment that
would allow drilling in the Arctic Refuge, it is still possible that one
could be offered. Even without an Arctic drilling amendment in the Senate,
this puts the Arctic in the same position it was in last year. It has
been approved by the House, but rejected by the Senate. If this course
holds, it will be a point of contention in the conference committee when
Senate and House work Go to
HERE to take action.
On May 1, the Bush Administration released the ROD for the Cholmondeley (pronounced Chomlee) logging project, the first of approximately 50 projects scheduled in roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest. "This sale is a sign of things to come, bad things," says Tim Bristol of the Alaska Coalition. "We expect three more sales in quick succession to be followed by a dismantling of Tongass protections included in the Roadless Rule," says Bristol. "It's a slow motion disaster for our biggest, wettest, wildest national forest, coming to you courtesy of the Bush administration." The Cholmondeley logging project —a patchwork of clearcuts, log
dumps and roads—will damage one of the last remaining intact watersheds
on Prince of Wales Island, an island already devastated by decades of
industrial scale logging. The area hosts beautiful rolling hills, sparkling
lakes and secluded ocean coves. It contains numerous streams with large
healthy runs of wild salmon. Area residents have opposed the sale due
to its potential negative impacts on drinking water. Owners of long-established
lodges, Cholmondeley is one of four Tongass logging projects in roadless areas not afforded protection by the wildly popular National Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Yet it clearly violates the spirit of the landmark conservation policy which bans commercial logging and road building in roadless areas nationwide. The Bush administration has publicly acknowledged its intent to revise the Roadless Rule and in doing so exempt the Tongass National Forest from any protection. In the meantime, the Bush administration’s first direct assault on roadless areas in the Tongass has arrived with the release of the Record of Decision for the Cholmondeley timber project. Despite the overwhelming public support to permanently protect the Tongass, it is clear that the Bush administration is focused on an aggressive agenda to log roadless areas in the Tongass. To take action, go to http://www.akrain.org/action/default.asp?news_id=154.
BP, one of the largest oil companies operating on Alaska’s North Slope, announced a significant sale of Alaska acreage yesterday. The sale confirms a policy laid out last summer by BP CEO Lord John Browne to cease development in “frontier areas” in Alaska. A BP spokesperson told Petroleum News that the company wanted to “focus on resources in and around existing fields and near existing infrastructure.” “The fact that BP wants to focus on existing fields and stay out of frontier areas is good news for the Arctic Refuge,” said PIRG Arctic Wilderness Campaign director Athan Manuel. “We urge BP to close the deal, and announce that they will never drill in the Arctic Refuge, and sell their interest in Arctic Slope Regional Corporation land that lies inside the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.” For the past five years the PIRG Arctic Wilderness Campaign has targeted the four oil companies that have expressed interest in drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Since 1998, the campaign has filed 12 shareholder resolutions and generated more than 45,000 e-mails, phone calls, and letters to BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco. According to BP Exploration (Alaska) spokesman Daren Beaudo, quoted in yesterday’s edition of Petroleum News, the company sold 116,500 acres out of a gross position of some 233,000 acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and 401,700 acres of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) land in the North Slope Foothills. The sales were effective Dec. 31, 2002. In 1998, BP, Chevron (now ChevronTexaco), and the ASRC announced a long-term lease agreement for exploration and development on ASRC lands in the Kaktovik area within the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. “Though BP has dropped out of Arctic Power and decided to focus
on existing oil fields in Alaska, their lease agreement with ASRC is still
a threat to the Arctic Refuge,” concluded Manuel. “The best
way for BP to live up to their green reputation is to cancel their lease
agreement with ChevronTexaco and the ASRC and pledge to never drill in
the America’s Arctic.” Arctic photographer Subhankar Bannerjee has a new book, ‘Seasons of Life and Land’ that is hitting the bookshelves and is all about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Bannerjee spent two years documenting the life on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge and his pictures offer a beautiful testimony to the incredible life that is present all year long. You can read more about his book, or to order a copy. Bannerjee will be going on a tour to promote his book and may be coming to a town near you soon. You can see the full schedule of tour dates for Bannerjee’s tour. For more information, click here. |
