ANWR bills moving slowly in Congress

Two bills with opposing views on the potential for future oil and gas development on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have seen little action in Congress so far. In early January Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans representing Alaska, introduced S. 49, the Alaska Oil and Gas Production Act, a bill designed to open the coastal plain for oil and gas development. That bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Jan. 5. Murkowski chairs that committee.

In early April Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, introduced S. 820, a bill that would designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain as a wilderness area, thus excluding the region from oil and gas activities. That bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on April 4. Murkowski responded to Markey’s bill by commenting “this bill was dead before it got introduced.”

And, presumably to add some fuel to the ANWR debate, given the new makeup of Congress and the federal administration, in late February the Alaska Legislature passed a resolution urging Congress to approve responsible oil and gas exploration, development and production in the ANWR coastal plain.

- ALAN BAILEY