Gateway to ANWR - 4th Quarter 1998

Congress mulls 3-D seismic testing

In October, two of Alaska's congressional delegates introduced legislation to authorize three-dimensional (3-D) seismic testing on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senator Murkowski, chair of the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee, and Congressman Don Young, chair of the House Committee on Resources, drafted the companion bills in response to the recent U.S. Geological Society's assessment of ANWR's petroleum potential.

Last May, the USGS released new findings that estimate in-place oil resources as high as 31.5 billion barrels primarily under the northwest section of the Coastal Plain. The new assessment, however, is based on old, limited data collected in the mid-1980's.

Senate Bill 2589 was introduced just a couple of months before the 105th Congress adjourned. Having been reelected this November, both Murkowski and Young intend to pursue ANWR legislation when the 106th Congress convenes in January.

Annual Meeting: People for Arctic Power

The 6th annual Arctic Power annual meeting provided a forum to recognize growing pro-development support of American people ... from national leaders and organizations to Alaskan contributors.

Keynote speaker Jeff Harris, executive director of People for the USA, said Arctic Power had a friend in the Lower 48. U.S. Senate Energy Committee Chair Frank Murkowski (R-AK) told the audience of about 300 that there are friends in the halls of the Capitol as well. Alaska's Congressional delegation will continue to pursue federal legislation to allow seismic testing and eventual exploration in ANWR, he said.

The Arctic Power staff and board paid tribute to two Alaskans for their support of the organization's mission over the past year. "Above and Beyond" awardees: Tom Carter, President of the Anchorage Chapter and the Alaska Division of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA), a national conservation organization promoting the protection and use of U.S. natural resources.

In 1997 and 1998, Carter worked closely with Arctic Power and Alaskan leaders to try to reverse the national organization's opposition to opening ANWR. To gauge local chapter support, Carter surveyed the membership - 94% voted yes to a resolution supporting ANWR development. Carter delivered the vote and other information to IWLA national. He also helped organize an IWLA leadership tour to ANWR in June. Carter has pledged to continue efforts to educate the national league.

Jeff Johnson, co-owner of Valdez Expediting, also went above and beyond for Arctic Power this summer when the IWLA tour became stranded in Valdez due to weather. In order to catch a plane to Prudhoe Bay the next day, it was necessary to drive all night to Anchorage. Johnson graciously came to the rescue, providing vehicles at reduced rates, and shuttling the vehicles back to Valdez at no charge.

Also during the meeting, members recognized the new Arctic Power Board of Directors elected this October. Mary Shields, Northwest Technical Services, and Richard Berkowitz, Seattle's Transportation Institute, came on board as new directors. Many thanks to the all the returning directors for their continued leadership and commitment. Last year's board officers will continue to lead as members of the 1998-99 executive committee.

People for the USA: You've gotta friend

The following is excerpted from the 1998 Annual Meeting address by Jeff Harris, Executive Director, People for the USA

First of all, I want to convey to everyone that you have friends, real friends, in the lower 48. Organizations like yours and mine are necessary because of the environmental movement in this country.

This movement has been a dominant one on our public policy agenda for the past three decades, evolving from grassroots infancy into a billion-dollar-a-year business. As years passed, its leadership has been captured more and more by extreme elements. They want to protect our environment from the people, not for the people, and if the past 30 years is any guide, we better start paying attention.

Not too much makes sense with environmental politics anymore. For example, environmental groups are on the one hand very concerned about climate changes and the greenhouse gases that supposedly cause it. But on the other hand, they want to tear down hydroelectric dams and are adamantly opposed to nuclear power, two of the cleanest energy sources. They also favor managing our forests with fire, which creates greenhouse gases, rather than harvesting them. It's hard for most of us to figure it out.

We thought it was a lot more rational 30 years ago when it all began. Back then you could see the pollution in the air and water, and so we passed the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, and NEPA and the most powerful and pernicious mother of all environmental laws, the Endangered Species Act. As far as human health and safety was concerned these laws worked pretty well. Today, the U.S. has one of the cleanest environments on earth.

Good news; however, there were also some other consequences associated with all these programs, and these consequences or costs were first imposed on the Northeast. Remember the rust belt, the center of manufacturing in our country? It's gone. It wasn't just cleaned up, it was largely eliminated. I submit that this was phase one of the grand environmental plan. It calls for the de-industrialization of America.

During the last 30 years, we've gone from being the richest nation on earth to its biggest debtor. Our imported manufactured products account for 53% of U.S. consumption. We also import more oil now than we produce, while ANWR lies idle. The final leg of the Green Strategy is in place, calling for us to greatly restrict the lifeblood of our economy, energy consumption. It is packaged as the global warming crisis.

About 10 years ago, a grass roots response to Green extremism began to develop. Our message is simple and very American. We believe our country can have both environmental protection and economic growth.

1973 Oil Embargo: What have we learned?

It's the 25th anniversary of the 1973 Arab oil embargo. There is little to celebrate. Despite the gasoline shortages and consumer panic that the embargo caused, America has not reduced dependence on foreign oil.

In fact there has been a sharp increase in dependence on oil from foreign sources. Oil imports have risen from 28% in the early 1970s to nearly 50% in 1997, according to statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Tracking the Opposition

PIRG launches attack on oil companies. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a national watchdog organization, just released a report opposing ANWR exploration via biased attacks on several oil companies. Entitled "The Dirty Four: The Case Against Letting British Petroleum, ARCO, Exxon and Chevron Drill in the Arctic Refuge," the report contains many factual errors. It claims ARCO is responsible for three toxic waste Superfund sites in Prudhoe Bay. There are NO Superfund sites in Prudhoe. PIRG "researchers" also claim that 10 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill wildlife populations show little or no recovery. Wrong again.

Sierra Club "warns" members about new U.S. House Speaker's oil & gas background.
House of Representatives' election of Bob Livingston as Speaker. A late-November alert to its Sierra Club members touts Speaker-elect Livingston as a friend of oil and gas. "No Newt is not necessarily good news for the Arctic Refuge," says the e-mail note. "The new speaker is from the big oil state of Louisiana. Last Congress, he voted for the Chugach Road and supported helicopters in Alaska wilderness."