Opposite ANWR planks in party programs

by The Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski said July 28 that the full Republican Platform Committee voted to unanimously support national resource proposals he authored, including supporting environmentally sensitive energy development on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and responsible forest management in the Tongass National Forest.

One plank of the energy plan says the party will “promote environmentally responsible exploration and development of oil and gas reserves on federally owned land, including the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”

“From Alaska’s point of view,” Murkowski said, “the platform is very strong on energy development. … We propose to produce oil in America rather than simply import more and more oil from Saddam Hussein.”

It was a different story with the Democratic platform. Resource development represents the biggest divide between Alaska Democrats and the national party.

“They just don’t understand, Alaska is a resource state,” said Mano Frey, delegate and head of the Alaska AFL-CIO.

Alaska Democrats support development of the refuge and had hoped to keep the subject out of the platform at the Democratic National Convention.

The paragraph reads: “Al Gore is committed to restoring the Everglades, protecting the coasts of California and Florida and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling; and preserving our untouched forest, including the Tongass, from logging and development.”