Senate rejects drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

[Phlegm]

From Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - The Senate blocked oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge Wednesday, rejecting a must-pass defense spending bill where supporters positioned the quarter-century-old environmental issue to garner broader support.

Drilling backers fell four votes short of getting the required 60 votes to avoid a threatened filibuster of the defense measure over the oil drilling issue. Senate leaders were expected to withdraw the legislation so it could be reworked without the refuge language. The vote was 56-44.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was among those who for procedural reasons cast a “no” vote, so that he could bring the drilling issue up for another vote.


The vote was a stinging defeat for Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who for years has waged an intense fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He had thought this time he would finally get his wish.

Stevens called the refuge’s oil vital to national security and bemoaned repeated attempts over the years by opponents using the filibuster to kill drilling proposals.

Democrats, conversely, accused Stevens of holding hostage a military spending bill that includes money to support troops in Iraq and $29 billion for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“Our military is being held hostage by this issue, Arctic drilling,” fumed Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader. The Nevada Democrat said the Senate could move quickly to pass the defense bill once the refuge issue was resolved.

“We all agree we want money for our troops. ... This is not about the troops,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a strong critic of letting oil development disturb the refuge in northeastern Alaska.

During the vote, a grim-faced Stevens, 82, who had fought to open the refuge to drilling since 1980 and is the most senior Republican in the Senate, sat midway back in the chamber, watching his colleagues. When it became apparent that he had lost, he briefly talked with Frist, presumably over what move should be taken next. He briefly shook his head, a signal of his disappointment.

“We need ... to open up the small area of the coastal plain (of the refuge) for oil exploration and development,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. She called making the oil available a matter of national security by reducing U.S. reliance on oil imports.

Senators determined to protect the refuge from development found it difficult to oppose the politically popular defense bill, which has money for troops in Iraq, relief for Katrina hurricane victims and help for low-income families to pay energy bills.

“Destroying this wilderness will do very little to reduce energy costs nor does it do very much for oil independence,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

A decade ago a Republican-led Congress used a parliamentary maneuver to get an ANWR bill successfully past a filibuster, only to have it vetoed by President Clinton. This time President Bush has made ANWR drilling one of his top priorities and is eager to sign a bill.

Drilling opponents long have argued that ANWR’s oil should not be exploited because of the coastal plain’s fragile ecosystem and its wildlife. While the region looks bleak during its long winters and oil can be seen seeping from some of its rock formations, the coastal strip also is the calving ground for caribou and home to polar bears, musk oxen, and the annual influx of millions of migratory birds.

“There are literally hundreds of thousands of Americans following this issue,” William Meadows, president of the Wilderness Society, said Tuesday, adding that there has been “an outpouring of angst and concern” over Stevens’ attempt to link hurricane relief money, low-income energy assistance funds and money for the Iraq war to push the drilling measure through a reluctant Senate.

Drilling proponents say modern techniques can extract the oil without damaging the environment.

The House passed the $454 billion defense spending bill earlier this week, 308-106, with scores of lawmakers who previously opposed refuge drilling voting for the legislation.

The bill includes $29 billion for Katrina hurricane relief, $2 billion in emergency funding for low-income families pay high heating bills this winter as well as money for troops in Iraq. Stevens’ provision would funnel 80 percent of the proceeds from Arctic refuge oil lease sales to hurricane relief and 5 percent for the energy assistance program.

The legislation anticipates about $5 billion in federal revenue bonus bids from oil leases, the first of which must be issued within 22 months and the second package in 2010. Half of the lease proceeds and future royalties from oil production would go to Alaska.

Alaska relies heavily on proceeds from oil production, a revenue stream that has been in steady decline as the vast Prudhoe Bay oil fields to the west of ANWR become less productive.

[Eziekial]

How can these people cry foul about adding the drilling provisions at the end of a spending bill when they are all guilty of doing it themselves? Not only that, what do the Senators of Arizona know more about wildlife in the tundra then the two Senetors from Alaska?

[Ouchyfish]

Fuck the tundra. That state wasn't bought for its god damn wildlife.

[Captain Insano]

It's ok... If we run out of oil we'll just invade Iran.

[brinstar]

victory for mother earth hooray

[Guntaag Gorefeast]

fuck oil~

[mofish]

Yes, Tom Stevens, Mr 250 million dollar bridge to nowhere. Im sure he knows all about wildlife. He wouldnt be doing this to bring money into his state or line corporate pockets at the expense of the Alaskan environment. I mean, hes a Republican. Paragon of virtue and wisdom

Fuck oil and fuck the corporatist politicians sucking big oil's cock.

[Spliffs]

If it will get gas prices back down to a buck per gallon, they can drill for oil in my colon for all I care.

Fuck Musk Oxen. When's the last time a Musk Oxen did anything for YOU?

[Ouchyfish]

I heard somewhere that it wouldn't impact us for 10 years and very little even then, but I am not sure if that was from one of them candy ass whiny bitchy tree-hugging liberal sluts like Pelosi possibly trying to throw themselves in front of bulldozers.

The wildlife being there or not being there affects me none. Lower our dependcy on foreign oil even a little and I'm thrilled. I just wish the government would focus on sinking huge amounts of dollars into alternative fuel instead of wiping African AIDs asses.

[brinstar]

that's the answer right there

spend less on lobbying to get 16 months' worth of oil out of alaska
spend more on lobbying to get some real research done on alternative energy sources

why not do it now instead of waiting until the oil shortage becomes critically unbearable?

because there's no money in it that's why

[Minrott]

Exactly what part of the drilling for oil in Alaska harms the wildlife there, other than if there were a spill of some kind?

[Lionking]

Bio-Diesel, FTW!

[Eziekial]

I'm in the oil (tankers) business and I can tell you our technology for drilling is pretty damn sophisticated. Once the rig is finished drilling the hole and the pipes are in place, all you would see is a little metal christmas tree of valves sticking out of the ground, if that. Our pipelines are actually 2 pipes (one inside the other) so if one ruptures the flow is turned off and the section of pipe repaired. We have hundreds of miles of pipe crisscrossing the Gulf of Mexico moving millions of barrels of gas and oil and yet no one screams about dolphins or flounders becuase the impact to them and the environment is inconsequential.

[Captain Insano]

Fuck animals.

Listen, as long as chickens, pigs, cows, some fish and a few goats continue to thrive all the rest can fucking die.

The environmental impact, no matter what it is, is fucking worth it in Alaska of all places. No one should even be living in that frozen wasteland except for maybe superman.

I find it funny that the same fucking liberal twats that protest the war also manage to stop the things that would decrease our interests in the middle east.

Liberals and environmentalists are the real terrorists in this country.

[brinstar]

hey did you miss the part where i suggested we research alternative energy sources

look again, it was right after i said that we should not dig up alaska for more oil

finding practical alternative energy sources DECREASES OUR INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST

we will need less and less foreign oil, and more and more natural beauty remains unspoiled. everyone wins.

except the big oil people of course, but fuck them in their goat asses

[Ouchyfish]

Isn't it a wonderfully awesome frustration that sets in once you realize how the rich/powerful determine how they get richer/more powerful and everyone else gets to sit back and complain?

Once you come to grips with the fact that there is really nothing that can or will be done it doesn't really seem so bad. Just sit back and enjoy your century (give or take) in the game. Bitching/voting/lobbying/praying/etc won't accomplish a fucking thing. However, if ya have some greenbacks, maybe they will listen to ya.

[Phlegm]

Hunt whales for oil!!!!!!

[Minrott]

No one has any specifics how drilling will 'spoil' the environment then? Not even some propaganda?

[Captain Insano]

hey did you miss the part where i suggested we research alternative energy sources

look again, it was right after i said that we should not dig up alaska for more oil

finding practical alternative energy sources DECREASES OUR INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST

we will need less and less foreign oil, and more and more natural beauty remains unspoiled. everyone wins.

except the big oil people of course, but fuck them in their goat asses

No i didn't miss that part.

I hate to break it to you, but the oil companies have squashed most alternative fuel research or boughten the patents related to them in order to keep the oil-machine full steam ahead.

Even if the entire government and the American sheeple got behind the idea of alternative fuel it would be years until we had something financially viable and available to the public.

Until then we need to continue drilling for oil on our own soil. The environmental impact is negligible and it might help us stay the fuck out of the middle east.

Conclusion: Save your feel good liberal politics for the rest of the retards who actually buy into that bullshit.

[Ouchyfish]

Conclusion: Save your feel good liberal politics for the rest of the retards who actually buy into that bullshit.

Fucking pwning of the century hehe

[brinstar]

no i already did that to harrison if you recall

but it was a good one anyway

[Ouchyfish]

true, true--my mistake =p

[Captain Insano]

hehe thx. I wasn't actually trying to be mean...I'm all for alternative fuel sources and I can't for the life of me understand why no one has come out with anything else yet. The person who develops a financially viable, clean alternative to oil will be a trillionaire. Why their isn't massive competition and venture capital being poured into this industry is beyond my comprehension.

That being said until something is available we should be drilling like crazy on our own soil.

[xaoshaen]

hey did you miss the part where i suggested we research alternative energy sources

look again, it was right after i said that we should not dig up alaska for more oil

finding practical alternative energy sources DECREASES OUR INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST

we will need less and less foreign oil, and more and more natural beauty remains unspoiled. everyone wins.

except the big oil people of course, but fuck them in their goat asses

You also claimed there was no money in alternative energy sources, which automatically discredits your opinion.

[brinstar]

why's that?

name five big companies that make all their money from non-petroleum energy sources.