http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ak-news/ en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:14:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051570/posts Drill ANWR by Paul Driessen Issue 112 - July 23, 2008 “We canÂ’t drill our way out of our energy problem.” This daily mantra underscores an abysmal grasp of economics by the politicians, activists, bureaucrats and judges who are dictating US policies. If only their hot air could be converted into usable energy. Drilling is no silver bullet. But it is vital. It wonÂ’t generate overnight production. But just announcing that America is finally hunting oil again would send a powerful signal to energy markets Â… and to speculators – many of whom are betting that continued US drilling restrictions... American Conservative Union Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051570/posts#comment Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:14:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051433/posts As Planet Gore readers likely know, Congress currently prohibits the federal government to sell leases for energy production along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). As the Congressional Research Service Office has put it, “OCS moratoria, which prohibit leasing on most federal offshore lands, have been an important issue in the debate over energy security and the potential availability of additional domestic oil and gas resources. Congress has enacted the moratoria for each of fiscal years 1982-2006 [NB: now 2008] in the annual Interior Appropriations bill.” This prohibition expires at the end of this (and every other) fiscal year. It... ClimateChangeFraud.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051433/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:14:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051314/posts Republican presidential candidate John McCain's short list of vice presidential possibilities has been essentially narrowed to six, according to a source familiar with the search. Factions within the Arizona senator's campaign are pushing for their favored candidate, sources tell the Phoenix Business Journal, a Baltimore Business Journal sister publication. The Baltimore Business Journal, Baltimore, Md. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051314/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:18:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051144/posts The coldest summer ever? Right now the so-called summer of '08 is on pace to produce the fewest days ever recorded in which the temperature in Anchorage managed to reach 65 degrees. That unhappy record was set in 1970, when we only made it to the 65-degree mark ... 16 days out of 365. This year, however ... there have been only seven 65-degree days so far. ... MEASURING THE MISERY In terms of "coldest summer ever," however, a better measure might be the number of days Anchorage fails to even reach 60. There too, 2008 is a contender, having... Anchorage Daily News, ref from Neal Boortz web site http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051144/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:05:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050272/posts NOAK48 PAFC 232101 CCB PNSAFC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK 1125 AM AKDT WED JUL 23 2008 ...SUMMER 2008 CLIMATE STATISTICS... THE SUMMER OF 2008 IS NOTABLE SO FAR FOR THE FOLLOWING CLIMATE STATISTICS THROUGH JULY 23: DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 60 DEGREES OR MORE 35 SO FAR IN...2008 ** 46 TOTAL IN....1971 59 TOTAL IN....1932 AND 1973 61 TOTAL IN....1966 62 TOTAL IN....1939 AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS OF 60 DEGREES OR GREATER IS 88 DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 65 DEGREES OR MORE 7 SO FAR IN...2008 ** 16 TOTAL IN....1970 19 TOTAL IN....1920 21 TOTAL IN....1982... National Weather Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050272/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:07:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050126/posts I just want to see who you think McCain should pick to be his running mate. This thread is not about "Juan McCain" and please spare us "he should pick Fred or Duncan and step down". I think it should be: Sarah Palin or Mitt Romney http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050126/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:29:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050000/posts Alaska Senate leaders want an investigation of whether Gov. Sarah Palin pressured and then fired the public safety commissioner because he wouldn't get rid of a state trooper who had gone through a bitter divorce with Palin's sister. "I'm fairly confident at this point that what we're going to see is the appointment of an independent investigator," said Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French, chairman of the judiciary committee. Palin denied any wrongdoing Monday and said she welcomed an investigation. "I've said all along, hold me accountable," Palin told reporters in Juneau. "And I'm telling the truth when I say that... Anchorage Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050000/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:31:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049240/posts Some 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle Sunday, ten of my House Republican colleagues and I completed an American energy tour focused on real solutions to help lower gasoline prices and energy costs for families and small businesses. Our trip started Friday with a visit to Golden, Colorado, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) — a government facility operated by private-sector scientists and engineers dedicated to perfecting cutting-edge solar, wind, fuel cell, biomass, and other emerging energy technologies to reduce our nation’s costly and increasingly dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy. The work done at NREL is... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049240/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:21:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049022/posts Alaska’s U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Stevens and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has been a toss-up for several months now, but the Democratic challenger is now ahead 50% to 41%. When “leaners” are included, Begich leads 52%to 44%. Begich began running his first television ads of the campaign on July 8 and the survey was conducted nine days later. For each of the last three months, the candidates have been within two points of each other. Last month, Stevens was up two, 46% to 44%. In May, it the incumbent trailed by two. The month before, Stevens had... Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049022/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:06:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048843/posts Election: There's little doubt voters want more drilling if even congressional candidates are starting to trek to Alaska to urge more oil development. Seven are there now. That's a wake-up call to Congress. Congressional challenger Craig Williams of Pennsylvania spoke to us Wednesday by phone from Deadhorse, Alaska. He and six other Republican candidates think there's enough voter disapproval with Congress' failure to do anything about gas prices to win this election, even in a season when Democrats are believed to have the advantage. "We've got a Democratic Congress doing absolutely nothing. Even the Republicans (before them) didn't do anything.... Investors Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048843/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:40:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048607/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Either we're sitting on a potential cure of high oil prices or we're wasting our time. Those seem to be the two schools of thought emerging as politicians call for expanded drilling in Alaska. It's no surprise that with oil prices at $130 a barrel, lawmakers facing angry voters want to be seen as tackling the problem head-on. And while it's hard to deny that the jackpot of all untapped domestic oil lies just north of the Arctic Circle, in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it's tougher to say whether or not extracting this energy will... CNN Money http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048607/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:52:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048671/posts US SENATE. The latest independent polls for US Senate races. ALASKA (Research 2000): Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) - 47%, US Senator Ted Stevens (R) - 45%. CONGRESS. The new independent polls for the US House contests. ALASKA CD-1 (Research 2000): Former State House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz (D) - 51%, Congressman Don Young (R) - 40%.. Politics1 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048671/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:29:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047936/posts Former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on Friday said that since Gov. Sarah Palin took office, members of her administration and family pressured him to fire a Palmer Alaska State Trooper to whom her sister was involved in a bitter child custody battle. Monegan said phone calls and questions from the Palin administration and the governor's husband, Todd Palin, about trooper Mike Wooten started shortly after Monegan was hired and continued up to one or two months ago. The governor herself also had a brief conversation with him about Wooten in February, Monegan said. The new assertions from... ADN.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047936/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:40:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047677/posts The Barack Obama presidential campaign is pouring money into the Republican bastion of Alaska to beat John McCain and to help the Alaska Democrats running for Congress against Ted Stevens and Don Young. "We've taken a look at the political dynamic of Alaska and, as a result, have made Alaska one of our 18 battleground states," said Obama deputy campaign manager Pete Rouse. "We believe we can win in Alaska and we're making it a priority." The Anchorage Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047677/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:54:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047480/posts The rhetoric over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is heating up as gas prices rise, with pro-drilling members of Congress and congressional hopefuls making visits to the refuge to hammer home their point. A group of House Republicans led by minority leader Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, are headed to Alaska this weekend for a tour of ANWR. Seven Republican U.S. House candidates from around the country also flew to the refuge this week and told reporters in Anchorage Thursday that it strengthened their pro-drilling stance. "I will go back to the people of Utah and confirm to the... Anchorage Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047480/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:02:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047133/posts The Bush administration didn’t waste much time after its lifting of the executive ban on off-shore drilling to make its second big gesture towards the oil markets. Late yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management opened 3.9 million acres of land in Alaska for drilling and exploration. The land had already been reserved for petroleum production, but had been kept in limbo by complaints and legal action by environmentalists: The US federal government on Wednesday said it would open 3.9m acres of land in a designated petroleum reserve in Alaska for drilling as a means to help curb rising petrol prices.... hotair.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047133/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:35:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047053/posts Along with a surging interest in fuel-efficient automobiles and biking to work, the legend of Alaska’s Gull Island, a speck of land four miles or so offshore the North Slope in the middle of Prudhoe Bay, seems to have an uncanny ability to appear when the United States is facing soaring oil and gasoline prices. Back in 1981 when crude oil prices hit unimaginable highs in excess of $30 per barrel, a letter from U.S. Rep. Bob Stump of Arizona popped into the mail bag of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in Anchorage, Alaska. “I have been contacted... Petroleum News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047053/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:41:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046896/posts by Gov. Sarah Palin July 16, 2008 What will it take for Congress to enact comprehensive energy policy that includes increased domestic production of oil and gas, renewable and alternative energy, and conservation? It seems to us outside of the Capital Beltway that virtually every effort to accomplish this is met with criticism and failure. In my opinion, the debate about energy policy is no longer theoretical or abstract. Our failure to enact an energy policy is having real consequences for every American in their daily lives and has begun to affect America's place in the world. Alaska is... Senator John Cornyn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046896/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:06:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046680/posts The US federal government on Wednesday said it would open 3.9m acres of land in a designated petroleum reserve in Alaska for drilling as a means to help curb rising petrol prices. “This is welcome news at a time when Americans are paying record prices at the pump,” said C. Stephen Allred, assistant US Secretary for Land and Minerals. “Together with proposed new production from other offshore and onshore areas, these increased supplies will help to stabilise energy costs.Â’Â’ The Alaska decision follows one by President George W. Bush on Monday to lift a presidential ban on drilling on the US outer... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046680/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:18:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046638/posts Election: There's little doubt voters want more drilling if even congressional candidates are starting to trek to Alaska to urge more oil development. Seven are there now. That's a wake-up call to Congress.Congressional challenger Craig Williams of Pennsylvania spoke to us Wednesday by phone from Deadhorse, Alaska. He and six other Republican candidates think there's enough voter disapproval with Congress' failure to do anything about gas prices to win this election, even in a season when Democrats are believed to have the advantage. "We've got a Democratic Congress doing absolutely nothing. Even the Republicans (before them) didn't do anything. So... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046638/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:18:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045909/posts I read where Gov. Palin was involved in a traffic accident on Tuesday. I'm glad to hear everyone was OK. I am sure I'm not the only one wondering why, during our current energy crisis, she was commuting from Wasilla to Anchorage alone in the state's gas-guzzling Chevrolet Suburban. As she stated recently that her energy team is "working on a long term plan to promote conservation and lasting solutions" to our current crisis, she might consider setting the example by traveling in something that gets better than 15 mpg. -- Doug Lyon Anchorage Anchorage Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045909/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:18:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044777/posts ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian chain erupted on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash 35,000 feet into the air and prompting the evacuation of the 10 people who live on the eastern side of the island, officials said. Okmok Volcano, located on Umnak Island, had an explosive eruption that started just before noon and was continuing through Saturday night, reported the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the joint state-federal agency that monitors Alaska's volcanoes. The volcano rises to 3,520 feet (1,073-metre) and is located about 65 miles southwest of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, a major fishing port with 4,300 full-time... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044777/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:26:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044284/posts WASHINGTON -- House Democrats moved Thursday to counter a Republican push for more domestic drilling with a proposal that would increase oil production from areas of Alaska already open to drilling. [...] "Democrats support increasing the domestic production of petroleum and other energy resources," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said Thursday. The issue cuts both ways for Democrats. They don't want to alienate environmental-minded supporters who are against additional drilling, but they don't want to cede the issue of increasing oil supplies to the Republicans. Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044284/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:22:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044405/posts Gov. Sarah Palin is a rising political star in Alaska, with an 84% approval rating. A strong advocate of opening her state to more oil drilling, she recently spoke with Investor's Business Daily. INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044405/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:43:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044353/posts Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 to ensure America's energy security. Secretary of State Henry Seward was the driving force behind the $7.2 million purchase, but at the time, a skeptical public called it "Seward's Folly." More than 140 years later, it's possible to wonder if that's still the case, given the difficulty Alaskans have had in opening more of their reserves to energy development. INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044353/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:48:37 GMT