Congress votes to open Alaska refuge to oil drilling

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While ANWR was largely overshadowed through the congressional debate by the larger tax overhaul — the most significant change to the tax code since the 1980s — it was of central importance to the lawmakers who care the most about it.

“This is an area … that contains an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the Senate’s most outspoken ANWR drilling proponent and chairwoman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said on the Senate floor, pointing to the Coastal Plain area of ANWR that would be open for drilling.

“We know we that can produce it safely. We know that we are going to need this oil in the years ahead,” she continued. “The reality is is that world oil demand is rising, it is not falling. We need to bring more supply online, and we need to open up our most prospective areas. So, again, when we have a small area that has enormous potential, why, why would we continue to deny that opportunity?”

Murkowski wore earrings and a scarf depicting the Incredible Hulk on Tuesday to mark the occasion of the ANWR vote. She was honoring the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who often wore a Hulk tie to the Senate when he was pushing for ANWR drilling.

ANWR drilling has long had the support of most Alaskans, the state’s leaders and at least some of the Alaska Native tribes. They see it as an opportunity to boost their economy and bring in thousands of jobs for decades.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/365772-congress-votes-to-open-alaska-refuge-to-oil-drilling