Bush Looks Beyond Alaska for Energy Supplies
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing possible congressional defeat
of his plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to energy
exploration, President Bush (news - web sites) said on Thursday he was determined to combat an ``energy crisis'' by seeking new supplies.
Bush told a news conference, during which he defended his
environmental record, that it would be a mistake for Congress to reject his plan to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR).
But he said he would look for energy supplies elsewhere,
particularly natural gas, in other unprotected U.S. federal
lands, the Canadian Northwest Territories and Mexico.
``I think it's important for us to open up ANWR. Whether or
not the Congress sees it that way is another matter. But that's not going to deter me,'' Bush said.
``There's gas in our hemisphere. The fundamental question is, where is it going to come from? I'd like it to be American gas. If the Congress decides not to have ... exploration in ANWR, we'll work with the Canadians,'' he said.
Congressional Republican leaders have omitted from their
pending 2002 budget resolutions any revenues from drilling in ANWR, seeking to avoid a contentious fight. The plan is fiercely opposed by environmentalists, Democrats and some Republicans who worry that it will despoil a vast wilderness.
Environmentalists In Senate
Last year, the Senate voted 51-49 in favor of drilling in
ANWR as part of a broad budget resolution. But last November's elections put more environmentalists in the Senate, and a handful of moderate Republican senators have declared their opposition to the drilling, making a Bush defeat more likely.
``It would be helpful if we opened up ANWR. I think it's a
mistake not to. And I would urge you all to travel up there and take a look at it and you can make the determination as to how beautiful that country is,'' Bush said.
As he spoke, CNN television ran split-screen images of the
refuge, depicting sweeping vistas and majestic wildlife.
(Editors Note: if Bush's point was to say there was nothing up there, he got rebuttaled big time. Pics are worth a 1000 words as they say - Scott)
White House spokesman Claire Buchan said Bush had not
conceded congressional defeat on the ANWR plan. ``He hopes they're going to pass it,'' she said.
Bush also sought to defuse fury over his decision to break a
campaign promise and not regulate power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, which is thought to contribute to global warming, and over his administration's suspension of regulations to reduce arsenic in drinking water.
The president said he would work with U.S. allies on a plan
to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other ``greenhouse
gases.'' Europe and Japan have expressed deep concern over Bush's abandonment of the 1997 Kyoto treaty to fight global warming and his decision not to regulate carbon dioxide.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said after a meeting with Bush on Thursday that he and Bush agreed on practically
everything, except the global warming issue.
Bush said he made the decision on carbon dioxide because the
United States could not convert quickly from fuels such as coal and oil to cleaner-burning natural gas. The United States lacked the supplies and infrastructure to move it, he said.
``Circumstances have changed since the campaign. We're now in an energy crisis,'' he said.
On arsenic, he said following an administration review of the drinking-water regulations, ``there will be a reduction in the acceptable amount of arsenic.'' Environmentalists have sharply criticized the suspension of the regulations, issued late in the term of former President Clinton.
Northwest Territories
Bush said he had talked to Canadian Prime Minister Jean
Chretien about importing Canadian natural gas and promoting
energy development in the Northwest Territories, which neighbors ANWR.
``We have meaningful discussions about exploration in the
Northwest Territories,'' Bush said. ``It's a big, vast region of natural gas. And it's important for us to explore, encourage exploration, work with the Canadians to get pipelines coming out of the Northwest Territories to the United States.''
He said he had also spoken to Mexican President Vicente Fox about energy cooperation.
Alex Kolton, of the Alaska Wilderness League, which is
opposed to drilling in ANWR, said Bush's comments were
encouraging.
``It's good news if President Bush is recognizing that the
American people overwhelmingly oppose drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge,'' he said. But he said the real test of Bush's intentions will come when his Cabinet-level energy task force releases its recommendations in a few weeks.
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