Commerce secretary revives ANWR talk

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez spoke before business leaders in Fairbanks March 23, saying that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could help bring down the record-high price of oil.

“We know that reliance on foreign oil is one of our most serious national security concerns, and we need to address it,” Gutierrez told the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce.

The 1.2 million-acre coastal strip east of the Prudhoe Bay oil field is under federal protection from efforts to open it to energy companies.

As much as 10.4 billion barrels of oil could be buried beneath the refuge, according to government estimates.

Legislation to open the refuge to drilling has never succeeded in Congress, despite strenuous efforts by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. President Bush supports drilling, however, all three major presidential candidates — Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain — oppose it.

“It’s a difficult environment to get exploration projects like this through, but I think we need to stay on it, because we believe it’s the right thing,” Gutierrez said. “If $105 oil hasn’t convinced us, I hope we don’t need higher prices to develop our own sources of oil.”

Sen. Ted Stevens, who is traveling with Gutierrez during the secretary’s two-day trip to the interior, said he is confident ANWR legislation could get passed in a session held after November’s presidential election.

—The Associated Press