Bush to Congress: Get Going on Domestic Oil Drilling

[dnalexander]

Alaskans do support exploration and drilling in ANWR. They do have an economic gain by doing so.See attached info:

State of Alaska > Governor > News > News Details

 
Palin on ANWR: 'President Bush is Right'
Renewed Call to Open for Oil Exploration


No. 08-068
April 29, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin released the following statement after President Bush renewed his call to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration in the face of surging gasoline prices:
"President Bush is right. Here in Alaska and across the nation, communities are feeling the pinch of high energy costs. It is absurd that we are borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars from one foreign country to buy oil from another. It is a threat to our national security and economic well-being. It is well past time for America to develop our own supplies."
. State of Alaska > Governor > News > News Details

 
Gov. Urges U.S. Senators to Defeat Bill


No. 07-223
Governor Palin Urges U.S. Senators to Defeat Bill Designating ANWR as Wilderness
November 10, 2007, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin yesterday sent a letter to members of the U. S. Senate and the Bush Administration advocating defeat of the latest version of a bill that would prohibit oil and natural gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Joe Leiberman (I-CT), aims to designate ANWR as wilderness. The Governor criticized the bill as it would effectively ban oil and gas exploration in the most promising unexplored regions in North America - the coastal plain of ANWR.
In the letter, Governor Palin states that national energy policy must include a variety of resources.
"I don't see national energy policy as an either/or proposition," said Governor Palin. "Rather, we need to develop secure domestic sources of conventional energy, such as oil and natural gas, while also researching and developing alternative and renewable energy. Alaska is ready, willing, and able to assist the nation in addressing our acute and expanding energy needs."
Governor Palin reminded senators that opening ANWR to oil and gas exploration would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil, increase federal revenues and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The letter can be found at:
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/pdf/2007_11_09.PDF


http://www.anwr.org/
1. Only 8% of ANWR Would Be Considered for Exploration Only the 1.5 million acre or 8% on the northern coast of ANWR is being considered for development. The remaining 17.5 million acres or 92% of ANWR will remain permanently closed to any kind of development. If oil is discovered, less than 2000 acres of the over 1.5 million acres of the Coastal Plain would be affected. That¹s less than half of one percent of ANWR that would be affected by production activity.
2. Revenues to the State and Federal Treasury Federal revenues would be enhanced by billions of dollars from bonus bids, lease rentals, royalties and taxes. Estimates on bonus bids for ANWR by the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Interior for the first 5 years after Congressional approval are $4.2 billion.  Royalty and tax estimates for the life of the 10-02 fields were estimated by the Office of Management and Budget from  $152-237 billion.
3. Jobs To Be Created Between 250,000 and 735,000 ANWR jobs are estimated to be created by development of the Coastal Plain.
4. Economic Impact Between 1977 and 2004, North Slope oil field development and production activity contributed over $50 billion to the nations economy, directly impacting each state in the union.
5. America's Best Chance for a Major Discovery The Coastal Plain of ANWR is America's best possibility for the discovery of another giant "Prudhoe Bay-sized" oil and gas discovery in North America. U.S. Department of Interior estimates range from 9 to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
6. North Slope Production in Decline The North Slope oil fields currently provide the U.S. with nearly 16% of it's domestic production and since 1988 this production has been on the decline. Peak production was reached in 1980 of two million barrels a day, but has been declining to a current level of 731,000 barrels a day.
7. Imported Oil Too Costly In 2007, the US imported an average of 60% of its oil and during certain months up to 64%. That equates to over $330 billion in oil imports. That's $37.75 million per hour gone out of our economy!  Factor in the cost to defend our imported oil, and the costs in jobs and industry sent abroad, the total would be nearly a trillion dollars.
8. No Negative Impact on Animals Oil and gas development and wildlife are successfully coexisting in Alaska 's arctic. For example, the Central Arctic Caribou Herd (CACH) which migrates through Prudhoe Bay has grown from 3000 animals to its current level of 32,000 animals. The arctic oil fields have very healthy brown bear, fox and bird populations equal to their surrounding areas.
9. Arctic Technology Advanced technology has greatly reduced the 'footprint" of arctic oil development. If Prudhoe Bay were built today, the footprint would be 1,526 acres, 64% smaller.
10. Alaskans Support More than 75% of Alaskans favor exploration and production in ANWR. The democratically elected Alaska State Legislatures, congressional delegations, and Governors elected over the past 25 years have unanimously supported opening the Coastal Plain of ANWR.  The Inupiat Eskimos who live in and near ANWR support onshore oil development on the Coastal Plain.

[W. Gray]

Gasoline prices in Hawaii are running 4.06 up to 4.53 for regular.

Up to 4.73 for premium.

Up to 5.32 for diesel.

[flo]

I have a call in to a friend in Alaska to get "first-hand" what he is paying for gasoline.  Soon as I hear, I'll post it.

[greatguns]

Believe me it will take a WHOLE LOT MORE than cheaper gasoline before most of us will be running out and buying Hummers.  Although I be able to buy a little more to eat.

[dnalexander]

Flo I will contact my friends in Valdez, AK and see what they are paying. When i left Valdez in 1979 (30 years ago) we were paying $1.50 per gallon for gas way more than most people.

David

[dnalexander]

Valdez Alaska Gas price $4.42 outside town and $4.69 is the high price in town.

David

[Bonnie M.]

Actually, the prices in Alaska are about exactly the same as they are in Escondido, today.  The prices go up by leaps and bounds, every day, it seems.

[frawin]

The price is $3.79 here most places.
mw

[flo]

Dean's in Anchorage and said unlead is $4.15 today

[W. Gray]

This came in a local talk show this morning,

Proposed ANWR drilling in Alaska has been likened to a two-hour motion picture where the two hours represents Alaska.

ANWR is equal to 6:24 of the two-hour movie.

The coast plain area where drilling would take place is equal to 30 seconds of the movie.

The actual drilling area is equal to one-four hundredths of a second in the movie.