Courtesy of HuffPo:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation Wednesday night that would open a portion of a pristine wildlife refuge in her state to oil and gas development, a move expected to bring in slightly more than $1 billion in federal revenue over the next decade.
The bill would open up part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), described by some as “America’s Serengeti,” which covers more than 19 million acres in northeastern Alaska. The region is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It’s considered one of the state’s crown jewels.
In a statement, Murkowski called it “a tremendous opportunity” for the country.
“The legislation ... will put Alaska and the entire nation on a path toward greater prosperity by creating jobs, keeping energy affordable for families and businesses, generating new wealth, and strengthening our security — while reducing the federal deficit not just by $1 billion over ten years, but tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades to come,” she said.
This is usually the point where somebody not from Alaska will chime in that Murkowski needs to be voted out of office.
The problem with saying that over and over is that it will essentially have the same effect as spitting into the ocean over and over again. In a word...none.
The problem is that instead of making Murkowski toxic in Alaska this will only prove to endear her to Alaskans most of who overwhelmingly support the opening of ANWR.
The hard truth is that the money is drying up faster than our glaciers are melting up here, and people in the state are starting to feel a little desperate.
I actually have very little confidence that this bill will pass, but even if it does not it still reinforces Murkowski's conservative credentials and signals to the voters that she is somebody who is working to make the state more prosperous.
I really do not think opening ANWR would accomplish that, but I am definitely in the minority.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation Wednesday night that would open a portion of a pristine wildlife refuge in her state to oil and gas development, a move expected to bring in slightly more than $1 billion in federal revenue over the next decade.
The bill would open up part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), described by some as “America’s Serengeti,” which covers more than 19 million acres in northeastern Alaska. The region is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It’s considered one of the state’s crown jewels.
In a statement, Murkowski called it “a tremendous opportunity” for the country.
“The legislation ... will put Alaska and the entire nation on a path toward greater prosperity by creating jobs, keeping energy affordable for families and businesses, generating new wealth, and strengthening our security — while reducing the federal deficit not just by $1 billion over ten years, but tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades to come,” she said.
This is usually the point where somebody not from Alaska will chime in that Murkowski needs to be voted out of office.
The problem with saying that over and over is that it will essentially have the same effect as spitting into the ocean over and over again. In a word...none.
The problem is that instead of making Murkowski toxic in Alaska this will only prove to endear her to Alaskans most of who overwhelmingly support the opening of ANWR.
The hard truth is that the money is drying up faster than our glaciers are melting up here, and people in the state are starting to feel a little desperate.
I actually have very little confidence that this bill will pass, but even if it does not it still reinforces Murkowski's conservative credentials and signals to the voters that she is somebody who is working to make the state more prosperous.
I really do not think opening ANWR would accomplish that, but I am definitely in the minority.
