In an effort to ease the need for foreign oil, the House approved the drilling for oil in Alaska's wildlife refuge. The bills sponsors believe they
will get as much as a million barrels a day from the Alaskan drilling. Opponents, on the other hand, believe that the drilling will only send
billions of dollars to the major energy companies, but offer no relief to the prices in gas.
www.cnn.com
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted late Wednesday to allow oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge as part of a broad energy bill that Democrats
said would funnel billions of dollars to highly profitable energy companies while doing little to promote conservation or ease gasoline prices.
The bill's sponsors said oil from Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as much as a million barrels a day, will be needed to help curtail the
country's growing dependence on oil imports. Opponents argued the oil wouldn't be available for a decade and even then at levels that would not
significantly affect oil prices or imports.
The bill calls for $8.1 billion in tax breaks over 10 years, most of it going to promote coal, nuclear, oil and natural gas energy industries.
Development of the Alaska refuge has been a contentious issue for nearly a decade. Environmentalists fear a spider web of drilling platforms and
pipelines would harm the area's polar bears, caribou, migrating birds and other wildlife.
Senate Democrats have pledged to filibuster any energy bill that would open the refuge to oil companies. An amendment to strip the Alaska refuge
provision from the energy bill failed Wednesday night 231-200.
A final vote on the energy legislation is expected by the House on Thursday
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
I have to admit that I am a bit torn on this subject. The nature lover in me hates the idea of polluting the Alaskan refuge, but the realist in me
sees that we need to find a way to remove ourselves from foreign oil. I do however agree with opponets who claim that the benefits from the drilling
will not be seen for another 10 or more years.
Related News Links:
www20.overture.com
[edit on 21-4-2005 by mpeake]
[edit on 21-4-2005 by mpeake]