Remarkably enough, the Senate has voted down ANWR drilling by a vote of 52-48. Despite active lobbying by Dick Cheney (according to drilling supporters, though the VP’s office has denied it), the fillibuster-proof budget resolution failed to get the support of seven GOP senators (though five Democratic senators voted for it).
I’m glad.
There are high costs to US dependence on foreign oil, certainly. But there would be permanent costs to ANWR to drilling, and the potential gain in petroleum is a drop in the bucket of our total consumption. I mean, jeez, I have this distinct feeling that if the money that was being invested in lobbying for ANWR drilling (plus the massive costs of drilling and extraction itself) were dedicated to R&D to otherwise reduce that import depedence, it would become a lot more feasible.
It’s a spark of good news, in an otherwise dreary and depressing week.
I Talked to my sister who lives in Sitka about this. She told me that everybody in Alaska is for the drilling because Prudhoe Bay will be drying up in about Five years…And Alaskan’s really, really love not paying taxes and the $9,000+ oil checks from the government.
Oh, I’m sure it’s very popular amongst a lot of folks in Alaska. And if it were “just” a state wildlife refuge, I’m sure it would be a different matter.
I’m glad. I read somewhere that they estimated that the entire output of that field would supply our habit for all of 20 days, or something equally ridiculous…
(yeah, ‘I read somewhere’ – strong argument, eh?)
200 days.