Should Congress authorize drilling at ANWR?

[Elkhunter]

Read
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7054142/

Survey - Poll
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7065544/



<TABLE class=boxArcticRefuge cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD class=headlineArcticRefuge colSpan=2>Should Congress authorize drilling in a small area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? * 1821 responses</TD><TD width=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=4><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD><TD width=450>Yes, America needs all the domestic oil it can get and today's technology makes it safe
15%

</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=4><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD><TD width=450>No, the refuge is unique and worth protecting; besides conserving energy makes more sense
84%

</TD><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=4><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD><TD width=450>Can't decide
1%

</TD><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=20><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD></TR><TR><TD width=10><SPACER WIDTH="1" TYPE="BLOCK"></TD><TD class=credit style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" colSpan=2>Not a scientifically valid survey</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Erik in AK]

A reminder about the proportionality of this issue.

ANWR is 19 Million Acres: just smaller than South Carolina

17.5 Million acres is already permanently off limits to development.

The coastal plain portion is approximately 1.5 million acres: just bigger than Delaware.

The Keyhole Site (where they want to do the drilling) is about 2,000 acres: the size of the average rural county airport.

So imagine if you will, a map of South Carolina (or since many HTers are from Idaho), or the northern third of Idaho, say from the Sawtooths north and erase all traces of humanity and civilization. Then ask yourselves if the Cour D'Lene Air Terminal is too much to ask for.

 

[ELKCHSR]

LOL Eric.
That makes to much sense, you can't put it on such terms, it looks to miniscule to really count and that wouldn't get the publicity that this really doesn't warrant...
An old saying of "Making Mountains out of Molehills" comes to mind...

 

[AKHighmark]

A reminder about the proportionality of this issue.

ANWR is 19 Million Acres: just smaller than South Carolina

17.5 Million acres is already permanently off limits to development.

The coastal plain portion is approximately 1.5 million acres: just bigger than Delaware.

The Keyhole Site (where they want to do the drilling) is about 2,000 acres: the size of the average rural county airport.

So imagine if you will, a map of South Carolina (or since many HTers are from Idaho), or the northern third of Idaho, say from the Sawtooths north and erase all traces of humanity and civilization. Then ask yourselves if the Cour D'Lene Air Terminal is too much to ask for.

Why won't the ANTI crowd comment on this type of information? Hmmmm..... Awfully interesting isn't it.

 

[A-con]

Yes, with some serious restrictions and accountability. You spill the oil, you pay to clean it all the way up.

 

[AKHighmark]

Yes, with some serious restrictions and accountability. You spill the oil, you pay to clean it all the way up.

You mean that they should continue producing oil like they are doing now?

WOW...That would be something.

 

[AKHighmark]

You mean that they should continue producing oil like they are doing now?

WOW...That would be something.

Good thing Buzz, Gummer and all the Bunny Humpers can agree too logic like this. |oo :wank: :wank:

 

[Ithaca 37]

AK, "Why won't the ANTI crowd comment on this type of information? Hmmmm..... Awfully interesting isn't it."

Maybe they're like the National Rifle Assoc. crowd. One tiny little threat from the anti- gun crowd and they go ballistic. One threat to a wildlife refuge and some see it as a first step to taking away our wildlife refuges.

Do you really think if Dubya drills in the Keyhole site and he finds oil, he'll stop there and not want to drill in other parts of the refuge?

 

[Erik in AK]

Ithaca,
The Keyhole site came to be because of the seismologic(sp) studies determined that that was the most cost effective spot to drill. The coastal plain deposit is fairly contiguous as far as oil deposits go and the Keyhole sits atop the center of that deposit. Access to the site, if drilling happens, will be via a 28 mile long spur road which would connect the site to the existing pipeline infrastructure.

As far as your "Dubya" comment...thats a cheap shot and you know it. The Alaska Congressional delegation have been trying to open ANWR since 94.

The only thing W knows about ANWR is the majority of people who live here want it drilled.

In Alaska, "job" is spelled Oh Eye Ell

 

[leftylock]

The description I heard was to envision the area as being the size of a normal living room rug. The keystone site would then be about the size of a postage stamp. Outragous!! Drill that Mother!

 

[SageGhost]

i need more gas to go off road and chase wolves

 

[BuzzH]

Sagehen, we'd need to drill in every refuge in the United States if you went in search of that clue you seem unable to find...

 

[pa mt man]

Are you guys in AK still getting those big payments from the state for the oil sold. Last I heard the amount was going down. I'm too lazy to do a goggle search today, so just tell me than I can put 2 and 2 together.
Just kidding, I'm jealous and wish pa had something other states needed and I could set back and plan out of state hunts. Oh wait,we have landfills!!!

 

[Ithaca 37]

I can't help thinking those payments from the state and oil companies influence the thinking of the residents. It would be nice to get a raise, wouldn't it?

Just think what would happen in other states if the residents started getting payments based on resource extraction. Don't you think most residents would sell out to the resource extraction industry real fast for a thousand bucks a year?

 

[pa mt man]

Are WY residents getting some money from all that drilling I saw going on there last year. We came up from Rocksprings at night and I asked one of the guys from there "what city are all those lites." He laughed and said there were gas rigs. WOW !!! Maybe they were on private land. If not, WY residents or even any citizen (if its federal land) should get a cut.
They are drilling gas wells like crazy around here and if its a good one the landowner gets a nice rolaity check every month. The owner of the gas company is a good friend of mine and he says the people who sign their rights to them bitch like crazy when they have to cut in the roads and drill but shut up once those checks start rolling in. I tell him I won't bitch if he drills on my property.

 

[guppie9]

The Alaska Permanent Fund is a fund that Alaska created to protect the money we receive from oil extraction. The government at the time decided that, instead of spending the money they received each year, it would be put into a fund where it could gain interest. I think that the other 49 states are just jealous that they didn't have the foresight to protect the money that they recieve from the companies doing business in their states

Anyway, after a few years, the fund was growing so quickly that it was decided that the citizens should be reaping some of the benefit. So the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) was created. Each year, citizens of Alaska receive a check based upon the interest gained on the permanent fund. The fund is invested in a variety of things such as stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. The annual PFD is based upon how well those investments do. Half of the interest gained is used by the state, while the other half is payed out to the citizens. A common misconception is that it is based upon oil prices, which is completely false. It is based entirely upon a 5 year average of the investments, to provide stability and avoid large up and down swings from year to year. The PFD hit an all time high about 4-5 years ago after several very good stock market years. The market took a big downswing a few year ago, and because of that, the PFD has gotten smaller over the past few years. This year, we all received a little over $900 and it is expected to be lower again this year before rebounding.

So, drill or don't drill, it doesn't affect my PFD check.

I hope this was helpful.

 

[pa mt man]

quppie9, Doesn't any future oil sales put any money in the PFD coffers? If it does it will effect your check by making sure if it is invested badly you still have a nestegg. Alright I'll do a search. Doggone Ithaca!

 

[pa mt man]

quppie9, I think your mistaken. http://www.apfc.org/theapfc/tophow.cfm I think your check will be affected by adding money from oil to the reserved fund. That lets a larger portion go to the unreserved fund where you make even more money. And yes I'm jealous of all you guys in AK!!!

 

[guppie9]

That's true, the more money paid in, the more money that could be invested, which means more money in interest. That aside, the money in my pocket really doesn't affect my decision about if we should drill there or not. I will say that I am swayed by what the economic impact will do for my community and state, as would most people no matter where they live. I just can't get by the fact that there are so many positives to doing this. I addressed the negatives in another thread and feel I made a pretty strong case. People should not look at how oil drilling is done elsewhere because it is NOT how we do it up here.

 

[Erik in AK]

You know Ithaca, for a guy who usually does his homework you're really holding your schwanse on this one.

The PFD is not hush money. What it is, or was, was a brilliant political maneuver by former Alaska Governor Jay Hammond to get the people of Alaska to pay close attention to what their state government was up to. If not for the PFD, the PF would have been raped by the legislature long ago.

I could care less if I never get another check. I live here for reasons other than my October Surprise.

and as far as being beholden to the resource extraction industries is concerned, I'd rather be beholden to them than the GD cruise lines