Feds Want More Alaskan Land for Drilling (387,000 more acres)

[Khephra]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The federal governments wants 387,000 more acres available for oil and gas drilling in Alaska, a proposal criticized by environmentalists. The move announced Wednesday is part of a proposed Bureau of Land Management amendment to a 1998 development plan for the northeastern region of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

Environmentalists said the plan would endanger lands rich in sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats.

But Henri Bisson, state director for the federal Bureau of Land Management, said the expansion is necessary and would increase potential reserves from 600 million barrels to 2.1 billion barrels.

"We believe we've picked the right course," he said.

Originally, 87 percent of the 4.6 million acres in the region along the state's North Slope was to be made available for oil and gas development leases. The new plan would open about 96 percent.

more..................

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-alaska-oil,0,5415810.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[IA_Young_Dem]

1. When will people wake up and realize that we need more alternative energy?

[mom-mad-about-bush]

4. Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force "scheme to pay off Oil Co. buddies"

People do know we need more alternative energy. But we can never get it without cooperation from the government, and the government supports the oil companies, because they are big GOP donors. Between 1999 and May 2001, 18 energy companies donated over 16 million to the Republican Party. From January to May 2001 over 100 representatives of the energy industry companies and corporate associations were consulted by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham for advice on the "Energy Task Force". No consumer groups or environmental groups were contacted.

The following is taken from the book "50 Reasons not to vote for Bush"
With regards to Dick Cheney's "Energy Task Force" pg. 158
"Greg Palast called it "charitable" to describe the plan as a "scheme to pay off the president's oil company buddies, fry the planet, and smother Mother Earth in coal ash, petroleum pollutants and nuclear waste." The Cheney scam dismissed alternative energy sources and focused on promoting oil, gas, and nuclear power (sources in which Halliburton is heavily invested). Besides weakened environmental regulations and the potentially disastrous push for drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, Cheney called for a new power plant to be completed every week for 20 years - over a thousand."

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

2. What about offshore drilling? Florida comes to mind...

... whatEVER happened to THOSE plans?????? coff coff.

[abelenkpe]

3. how many times

do we have to say no?

[dusty64]

5. Smash and grab

before they are spent packing in November.

[Darranar]

6. This is a short-term solution that will accomplish little...

but further destruction of the environment.

We need conservation and alternative energy.

[TahitiNut]

7. 387,000 more acres in small plots spread over 10,000 square miles?

These people can't stop lying, cheating, and stealing. Any assumption that this acreage would be contiguous is very probably a false assumption.

[struggle4progress]

8. kick

:kick: