Murkowski pushes to open ANWR at committee hearing

North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan says ANWR is not going to happen in this Congress

by The Associated Press

Sen. Frank Murkowski pitched development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in mid-July but a fellow senator said the panel should move on.

“I hope we don’t get caught up dancing on the head of this pin called ANWR,” North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan said.

“Frankly, ANWR is not going to happen in this Congress. There is so much more we can do.”

Murkowski responded by arguing the merits of opening the area. The refuge, considered by advocates as the best prospect in the United States for a major oil strike, is an essential part of any national energy policy, he said.

Norton supports Murkowski

Murkowski noted that oil and gas is produced in about 30 other national wildlife refuges around the nation. “We seem to have an assumption that refuges are like national parks, where no development is allowed.”

“Why is ANWR any different from any other refuge?” he asked Norton.

Norton said development is allowed in refuges when it “is compatible with the purposes of the refuge.” ANWR, she noted, “is somewhat unique” because Congress in 1980 designated a portion of the coastal plain to study for possible oil and gas development.

Oil development incompatible

The coastal plain is the “biological heart” of the refuge, he said, providing habitat for polar and grizzly bears, musk oxen, Dall sheep, wolverines, and millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds.

Clusen also questioned the economic benefits of developing ANWR oil, saying it would contribute too little to affect the nation’s security or energy prices.