Alaska governor invites U.S. oil drilling

[LiviaOlivia]

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/04/01/alaska_invites_oil_drilling/index.html
By Mike Chambers



April 1, 2004 | JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- -- Gov. Frank Murkowski said he will open lease sales in state waters offshore of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

Citing frustration with what he calls "America's extreme environmental community," Murkowski said Wednesday he will do what he can as governor to spur Arctic oil development.

"While the U.S. House and Senate remain gridlocked over opening ANWR for oil development, I am not burdened by that process," said Murkowski, who spent 22 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming governor in 2002. The oil and gas lease sales are planned for October. State waters extend out 3 miles in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

It is unclear how much of the area will be leased, but the two areas amount to about 1 million acres. About 670,000 acres of submerged lands lie off the coast of the petroleum reserve and 350,000 acres are off the coast of the wildlife refuge.

<snip>

[bif]

1. He can't open up ANWAR, can he?

So what is he shooting his mouth off for?

[mbperrin]

2. Gosh, what could possibly go wrong drilling offshore?

http://www.ocsbbs.com/OCSBBS/public/Safety_Alerts/mms_safety_alerts_new.asp

Check it out for a list from the Gulf of Mexico; good weather and easy drillin'

[Emboldened Chimp]

3. Of course he does

because Big Oil pays every man, woman and child in Alaska for drilling rights. The buy-off in turn gets Murkowski another term. Nice to see he's not doing this for personal gain. /sarcasm.

[girl gone mad]

4. yep.

Don't Alaskans make 3K or 4K each per year from oil cos.?

There' no question why drilling in ANWR is a popular idea among Alaskans.

[Bandit]

5. I heard it was twenty grand for each Alaskan every year

And then another twenty grand for natural gas dividends also. Alaskans are rich why would they want more oil? :crazy:

[bif]

6. The get a couple grand each, not 20 grand

[Bandit]

7. And that is as mush BS as what I originally posted

You people need to learn a bit before making statements that have no basis of fact.