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Thursday, 08 January, 2009, 23:30 GMT | more >>

Drilling foes seek permanent ANWR ban



By Upstream staff 

Opponents of efforts to open the Alaskan national wildlife refuge (ANWR) to drilling have gone on the offensive, introducing a bill into the new Democratic-controlled US House yesterday to make a ban on oil exploration in the reserve permanent.

Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey and Minnesota Republican Jim Ramstad are sponsoring the bill, which would end almost annual attempts to open the area to drilling, the Associated Press reported.

Markey has introduced similar legislation in the last three legislative sessions. However, the Repbulican-held House has instead approved drilling in the refuge several times, only to see each attempt blocked in the Senate.

This time Markey believes the bill has a good chance of passing with the support of a Democratic majority and the backing of moderate Republicans in the House.

"We now have a majority of House members that have publicly said they oppose any drilling in the refuge. In the previous Congress we were battling the Republicans in the majority who wanted to drill," he said.

If the legislation does reach the Senate it is likely to face a filibuster from Republicans led by Alaska's powerful Senator Ted Stevens.

Stevens has been fighting to get the wildlife refuge opened to oil companies for 25 years. His most recent attempt last month involved a bid to attach a provision opening the area to a crucial military spending bill.

The Northern Slope under ANWR is thought to hold 10.5 billion barrels of oil, similar to the maturing BP-operated Prudhoe Bay field to the west.

However, environmentalists say the area is an irreplaceable haven for polar bears, musk oxen and huge numbers of migrating caribou and birds.


Saturday, 06 January, 2007, 20:24 GMT  | last updated: Saturday, 06 January, 2007, 20:24 GMT

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