Battle Heats Up Over Alaskan Petroleum Reserve

NPR ^ | January 3, 2011 | Jeff Brady

[epithermal]

The battle over whether oil companies should be allowed to drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is nothing new — but the fight over nearby public land called the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska is.

The NPRA is huge — about the size of Indiana. Originally, it was set aside for the military, then in the 1970s it was reserved for domestic oil production.

Today, there are a few native villages in the NPRA, and about 30 wells have been drilled there — but it is mostly undisturbed.

The federal government is working on a plan to guide future drilling there, but environmental groups want some of the reserve set aside as wilderness.

"The Bureau of Land Management recognizes already that there are some special areas in the reserve," says Lois Epstein, arctic program director for The Wilderness Society.

[epithermal]

""Mother Nature has been very cruel to the oil and gas industry in Alaska in terms of where the resource is," says Marilyn Crockett, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

Crockett says production is declining on state land, and now companies must turn to federal land on the North Slope. She dismisses any talk of creating wilderness in the petroleum reserve.

"Frankly, the state of Alaska doesn't need any more wilderness areas," she says. "Something on the order of two-thirds of the state is already set aside in wilderness preserves, wildlife refuges [and] wilderness areas.""

Amen to that! I spent time in the area in the late 70's and the only people I ran across were wealthy European tourists. We already have ANWR, so lets keep our Petroleum Reserve for the petroleum.

[hosepipe]

What business does the federal government have OWNING ANY STATE LAND?..
The federal govt needs to be kicked out of ALL STATE LANDS..
Except for some that the Feds LEASE.. i.e. military bases..

[vpintheak]

Bastages need to let us drill and develope our natural resources. They are purposefully killing the nation with the green BS.

[org.whodat]

Bs, the whole damn state was bought, the few johnny come lately welfare people looking for their oil checks are not much different than the crazy check crowd.