Bush Says U.S. Needs to Drill for Oil in Alaska
Feb 23 2002 10:23AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing tough odds in the U.S. Senate, President Bush on Saturday launched a new campaign to gain approval for oil drilling in a pristine Alaskan wildlife refuge, saying it would create jobs and help wean America from foreign oil.
"America is already using more energy than our domestic resources can provide, and unless we act to increase our energy independence, our reliance on foreign sources of energy will only increase," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
The Senate in the coming week is to resume debate on energy legislation and at the moment it does not contain language to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), believed to hold up to 16 billion barrels of crude.
Republicans wants to amend the legislation to include ANWR drilling. The House included drilling in the refuge in its energy bill last August.
A final Senate vote is not expected until March, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, has said he has enough votes to block Republicans from adding language that would allow drilling in the Alaskan refuge.
Bush said he stopped in Alaska a week ago on his way to Asia and met with many Alaskans, including "native leaders who want to preserve the grandeur of their state while carefully developing the energy beneath a small fraction of it."
"New technology makes this possible. Our national security makes it urgent. Alaskans know firsthand that modern technology allows us to bring oil to the surface cleanly and safely, while protecting our environment and wildlife," Bush said. "We should listen to Alaskans who support exploring ANWR in a safe and clean way."
The Arctic refuge stretches over 19.6 million acres and is home to caribou, polar bears and other wildlife. Democrats and environmental groups oppose drilling in the refuge, preferring an energy policy that emphasizes more conservation and stricter fuel efficiency standards.
Bush believes taking oil from the refuge would help reduce America's dependence on crude oil imported from volatile Middle Eastern nations.
Republicans say Alaskan drilling will create tens of thousands of jobs, and backers say the refuge could produce 1 million barrels of oil a day at peak production. The United States uses 19.5 million barrels a day, and imports account for 60 percent of that.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton has said it is too early to say whether Bush would veto energy legislation that does not include ANWR drilling.
Bush on Monday will underscore his support for conservation when he takes a look at three experimental energy-saving vehicles, including the Chrysler Town & Country Natrium minivan, which is fueled with sodium boro-hydride, a compound chemically related to borax, the naturally occurring substance used in laundry soap.
The White House insists Bush's commitment to conservation, including tax credits for purchases of hybrid vehicles, has been overshadowed by the flap over ANWR.
"Conservation technology and renewables are important. Yet they alone cannot solve our energy problems. We must also reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of oil by encouraging safe and clean exploration at home," Bush said.
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