Alaskan Governor Asks for More Katrina Aid Oil

Governor Frank Murkowski of Alaska issued a press release today stating his requests for Alaskan oil producers to increase production to alleviate energy constraints caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Governor met with the major oil producers operating on the North Slope at Prudhoe Bay just over 50 miles from proposed ANWR coastal plain exploration site.

The message of the importance of Alaskan oil to the nation was clear. Alaska supplies 17% of America’s domestic production and that is crucial with last weeks oil platform catastrophes in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf supplies roughly 25% of the nation’s domestic supply yet over 90% of Gulf production was stopped due to Katrina. President Bush earlier this week released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help prevent price spikes, but any increase in Alaska production urged by the Governor will help equally.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is operating at less than half capacity due to the decrease in Prudhoe Bay field reserves, and yet with ANWR oil the pipeline could operate full supplying up to 33% of our nation’s domestic production. ANWR oil, like all Alaskan North Slope oil, is not susceptible to natural disasters and has been producing successfully for nearly 30 years. The Governor and the people of Alaska are pressing Congress for this common sense solution to our current precarious energy supply problems.

The message is clear: having a diverse supply base will prevent energy crisis and price spikes in supply. The best and clearest way to do that is by opening ANWR.

Read the Governor’s Press Release.