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ANWR goes over the top
U.S. Senate vote in support was landmark day for Alaska

(Peter Dunlap-Shohl)

(Published: March 20, 2005)
"Add all the caveats you want about the long legislative road ahead and the uncertainties of oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wednesday's razor-thin vote in the U.S. Senate to include ANWR in a federal budget bill was a red-letter day for Alaska.

There is a long road ahead -- a tortuous path in the Congress, an uncertain leasing process, a long lead time for building facilities and undertaking exploration. There is the inherent risk of oil and gas exploration anywhere: Even the most promising geology and seismic tests can turn up dry when exploration wells are sunk. And when the time comes for leasing and drilling, the industry itself may have other bets to place in a busy global environment. It's a risky world.

But with the Senate on record, oil prices around $55 per barrel and the American public facing higher and higher prices at the gas pump, the prospects for development in ANWR are better today than at any time since before the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Sens. Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski pulled off a coup this week that neither side in the long-running ANWR battle had been confident of winning. Now that senators have taken a fateful, high-profile vote on a closely watched issue, they are unlikely to reopen wounds by going back to the ANWR question later. " (snip)


http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/6293032p-6168649c.html


BOTTOM LINE: Wednesday's U.S. Senate vote was a big victory, even if ANWR is still a long way from being open.


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Who's up

Who's down

UP - Uncle Ted & Senator Lisa: Bringing home the ANWR budget vote. That applause rings true -- for, oh, maybe 70 percent of Alaskans.

DOWN - Uncle Ted: Musta been pretty hyped up to berate the clerk on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Geez, real Incredible Hulks don't need to do that.

UP - Local cops and rangers: Meeting brainstorms ways to tackle the problem of trail head break-ins. Go get 'em!

UP - Alaska Railroad: ISER study tallies up the trains' economic contributions, puts a shine on state-run choo-choos.

UP - Alaska schools: Legies just love, love, love to support education -- so send 'em that state surplus! Never mind if it's sustainable.

EVEN - Dan Coffey: Assemblyman offers city sales tax idea. Anybody else taking it seriously?

EVEN - Rachael Scdoris: Legally blind young musher proved her grit on toughest sections of Iditarod but didn't get all the way to Nome. Call it a draw.

UP - Seawolf skiers: Mandy Kaempf and Nicole DeYong go 1-2 and team takes seventh nationally. Ooh! Ah! Ah!

DOWN - Hillside moose: Game Board OKs plan to hunt down four friends of Bullwinkle on the Hillside.

we would get Ben.

The thought of "Ben, you ain't nuthin but Valley Trash Stevens" winning makes me... :puke:

Actually though.. I seriously don't think he could win. He's too weasely and I don't even the Repugs would select him as their candidate.

Look at the skeletans in his closet! :bounce: From the scam he pulled with the Special Olympics, to his "Valley Trash" comment, to people all over the state laughing that he doesn't even know how to spell (after that e-mail was made public)...

Nope.. if he can't be "appointed", he ain't goin'...

:evilgrin: