[Marxism] ANWR opponents [of drilling] say fight isn't over

[Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxxxxx>]

ANWR opponents say fight isn't over

WebPosted Mar 17 2005 03:05 PM MST
CBC News

OLD CROW, YUKON - Opponents to oil drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, say the U.S. Senate vote in favor of opening
up the area to oil drilling, has delivered a major blow to their cause.
The vote, 51 to 49, is an indication of just how sharply divided the
Senate is over the issue of drilling in ANWR.


For years, the Vuntut Gwitchin have lobbied to protect the calving area
of the Porcupine caribou herd and Old Crow MLA Lorraine Peter said she
was "extremely disappointed" with the vote.

Other opponents say the fight isn't over.

"It's sad because [for] 18 years we worked. From the first day our
elders got together ... to say that we have to go out and start working
to protect the caribou and protect the Arctic refuge. And we did it in a
way where we didn't step on anybody's toes. We did it in a real healthy
way," said Joe Tetlichi, of the Porcupine caribou management board.

"It's a sad day in history ... a really important decision has been made
and with a very close vote. I wouldn't say that it's the end of the
story by any means, as much as the door has been opened. It's still a
question of whose going to walk through it and how things are going to
proceed from here," said Theresa Gulliver, of the Canadian Parks and
Wilderness Society.

On Wednesday, the Senate tool a major step towards allowing drilling for
oil in ANWR when it voted to stop opponents from removing a provision
from next year's budget allowing drilling in the refuge. That means
opponents cannot use a filibuster to block attempts to open ANWR to oil
exploration and drilling.

Canada is opposed to plan, claiming it would displace land and marine
wildlife, especially the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.

Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski isn't celebrating the just yet. A
long-time supporter of the initiative, Murkowski says there's still lots
to do.

"That's an overwhelming vote on the ANWR issue, believe me. Having been
there for the many times we've had it up and of course we prevailed
under the same circumstances a long time ago under Clinton. And I think
the gratifying thing now [is that we have] a president that's going to
sign it once it gets that far. But we still have a lot of work left."

The Alaska governor is one of the strongest supporters for drilling in
the area. He claims opponents don't understand that the threat to
wildlife including caribou will be minimal with modern oil exploration
technology.

The Bush administration says the oil under the refuge would yield
billions of barrels of oil and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil.

Wednesday's action by the Senate means drilling could start later this year.

Experts say, eventually, ANWR could supply as much as 1 million barrels
of oil per day.


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