=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20
<= IMG=20 border=3D0 height=3D11=20 src=3D"http://www.truthout.org/imgs.site_01/2.print.gif" width=3D18= > =20 Print This Story= =20 E-mail This Story What do = you=20 think? The t r u=20 t h o u t Town Meeting is in progress. Join the=20 debate! GOP Again Bids to Take=20 ANWR By Jason=20 Leopold t r u t h o u t \| Report Thursday 16 March 2006 The Senate is prepared to vote on a = budget=20 bill Thursday that includes a measure to open up the Arctic = National=20 Wildlife Refuge to drilling - just as the region suffers through = one of=20 the worst oil spills in history. The provision to permit drilling in ANWR= was=20 included in a resolution passed last week by the Senate Budget=20 Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the issue as = early as=20 Thursday. The measure was prepared by the=20 Republican-controlled Senate in such a way that it would be = protected=20 from a filibuster by Senate Democrats opposed to the issue. = Drilling in=20 ANWR has been debated at least half a dozen times over the past = five=20 years. The issue is one of the cornerstones of= =20 President Bush's National Energy Policy. Bush has said that = drilling in=20 ANWR is crucial in order for the United States to cut its = dependence on=20 foreign oil. Environmentalists and numerous lawmakers= have=20 derided the plan, saying it would lead to the destruction of = caribou and=20 other wildlife that live in the refuge. Moreover, severe safety and= =20 technological issues have plagued the big oil companies that drill = in=20 nearby Prudhoe Bay and who would be responsible for breaking ground= in=20 ANWR should the Senate measure pass. Because the companies have yet to take=20 measures to address the safety issues at their Prudhoe Bay = operations=20 and make much-needed technological upgrades, there have been dozens= of=20 oil spills in the area. The situation would likely become even = worse if=20 ANWR were to be opened up to exploration, according to = environmental=20 officials and activist groups. Just two weeks ago, the worst spill in = the=20 history of oil development in Alaska's North Slope forced the = closure of=20 five oil processing centers in the region. Alaskan state officials = said=20 that as much as 260,000 gallons of crude oil leaking out of a = pipeline=20 in an oil field jointly owned by Exxon Mobil, BP Plc and = ConocoPhillips=20 blanketed two acres of frozen tundra near Prudhoe Bay - just a = short=20 distance from where President Bush has proposed opening up ANWR to= =20 drilling. The oil spill went undetected for about = five=20 days before an oilfield worker detected the scent of hydrocarbons = during=20 a drive through the area on March 2 that led him to believe there = was a=20 spill from one of the facilities. It's expected that last week's spill = will=20 take a crew of 60 at least two weeks to clean up and to restore = crude=20 production to pre-spill levels. The petroleum processing centers = will=20 remain closed until then. The spill underscores the hazards of = drilling=20 in the Arctic, despite the fact that oil company executives have=20 downplayed the severity of the technological problems likely to be= =20 associated with it. Last year, unbeknownst to the federal=20 lawmakers who debated the merits of drilling in ANWR, the Alaska=20 Department of Environmental Conservation started laying the = groundwork=20 to pursue civil charges against BP and the corporation's drilling=20 contractor for failing to report massive oil spills at its Prudhoe = Bay=20 operation, located just 60 miles west of ANWR. Despite those dire warnings, neither = Congress=20 nor the Senate has shown interest in investigating the = whistleblowers'=20 claims or held hearings about the potential problems that could = result=20 from drilling in ANWR. But BP employees have warned lawmakers = that=20 oil spills like the one that took place a couple of weeks ago could= =20 happen in ANWR if upgrades aren't made to the oil companies' = drilling=20 equipment. In March of 2002, a BP whistleblower = went=20 public with his claims of maintenance backlogs and employee = shortages at=20 BP's Prudhoe Bay operations that he said could become even worse if= ANWR=20 is opened up to exploration. The whistleblower, Robert Brian, who = worked=20 as an instrument technician at Prudhoe Bay for 22 years, had a = lengthy=20 meeting with aides to Senators Joseph Lieberman and Bob Graham, = both=20 Democrats, to discuss his claims. But the senators have never = followed=20 up on his claims. At the time, Brian said he supported = opening=20 up ANWR to oil exploration but said BP has imperiled that goal = because=20 it is "putting Prudhoe workers and the environment at risk." "We are trying to change that so we don'= t=20 have a catastrophe that ends up on CNN and stops us from getting = into=20 ANWR," he said, according to a March 13, 2002, report in the = Anchorage=20 Daily News. BP has long been criticized for poorly=20 managing the North Slope's aging pipelines, safety valves and other= =20 critical components of its oil production infrastructure. The company has in the past made minor=20 improvements to its valves and fire detection systems and hired=20 additional employees but has dropped the ball and neglected to = maintain=20 a level of safety at its facilities on the North Slope. Chuck Hamel, a highly regarded activist = who=20 is credited with exposing dozens of oil spills and the subsequent=20 cover-ups related to BP's shoddy operations at Prudhoe Bay, sent a= =20 letter to Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) on April 15, 2005, saying = the=20 senator was duped by oil executives and state officials during a = recent=20 visit to Alaska's North Slope. "You obviously are unaware of the = cheating by=20 some producers and drilling companies," Hamel said in the letter to= =20 Domenici, an arch proponent of drilling in ANWR. "Your official = Senate=20 tour" of Alaska last March "was masked by the orchestrated 'dog and= pony=20 show' provided you at the new Alpine Field, away from the real = world of=20 the Slope's dangerously unregulated operations." Back in the 1980s, Hamel was the first = person=20 to expose weak pollution laws at the Valdez tanker port as well as= =20 electrical and maintenance problems with the trans-Alaska oil=20 pipeline. Hamel has said that not only do oil = spills=20 continue on the North Slope because BP neglects to address = maintenance=20 issues, but the oil behemoth's executives have routinely lied to = Alaskan=20 state representatives and members of the United States Senate and=20 Congress about the steps they're taking to correct the problems. Hamel has obtained some damning evidence= on=20 BP to back up his claims. He has photographs showing oil wells = spewing a=20 brown substance known as drilling mud, which contain traces of = crude=20 oil, on two separate occasions. Hamel says he's determined to expose BP'= s=20 shoddy operations and throw a wrench in President Bush's plans to = open=20 up ANWR to drilling. "Contrary to what President Bush has = been=20 saying, the current BP Prudhoe Bay operations - particularly the=20 dysfunctional safety valves - are deeply flawed and place the=20 environment, the safety of the operations staff and the integrity = of the=20 facility at risk. The president should delay legislation calling = for=20 drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," Hamel told the = Wall=20 Street Journal last year. In April of 2001, whistleblowers = informed=20 Hamel and former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who at the time = was=20 touring the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, that the safety valves at = Prudhoe=20 Bay, which kick in in the event of a pipeline rupture, failed to = close.=20 Secondary valves that connect the oil platforms with processing = plants=20 also failed to close. And, because the technology at Prudhoe Bay = would=20 be duplicated at ANWR, the potential for a massive explosion and = huge=20 spills are very real. "A major spill or fire at one of our=20 [processing centers] will exit the piping at high pressure, and = leave a=20 half-mile-wide oil slick on the white snow all the way," Hamel said= at=20 the time in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. That year, the Alaska Oil and Gas=20 Conservation Commission found high failure rates on some Prudhoe=20 wellhead safety valves. The company was put on federal criminal=20 probation after one of its contractors dumped thousands of gallons = of=20 toxic material underground at BP's Endicott oil field in the 1990s.= BP=20 pleaded guilty to the charges in 2000 and paid a $6.5 million fine,= and=20 agreed to set up a nationwide environmental management program that= has=20 cost more than $20 million. Hamel also claimed that whistleblowers = had=20 told of another cover-up, dating back to 2003, in which Pioneer = Natural=20 Resources and its drilling contractor, Nabors Alaska Drilling, = allegedly=20 disposed of more than 2,000 gallons of toxic drilling mud and = fluids=20 through the ice "to save the cost of proper disposal on shore." Hamel has had his share of detractors,=20 notably BP executives and several Alaskan state officials, as well = as=20 the federal EPA, who have branded him a conspiracy theorist. But last March, Hamel was vindicated = when=20 Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed his = claims=20 of major spills in December 2004 and July 2003 at the oil well = owned by=20 BP and operated by its drilling contractor, Nabors, on the North = Slope,=20 which the company had never reported as required by state law. Hamel filed a formal complaint in = January=20 2005 with the EPA, claiming he had pictures showing a gusher = spewing a=20 brown substance. An investigation by Alaska's Department of=20 Environmental Conservation determined that as much as 294 gallons = of=20 drilling mud was spilled when gas was sucked into wells, causing = sprays=20 of drilling mud and oil that shot up as high as 85 feet into the=20 air. Because both spills exceeded 55 gallons,= BP=20 and Nabors were obligated under a 2003 compliance agreement that BP= =20 signed with Alaska to immediately report the spills. That didn't = occur,=20 said Leslie Pearson, the agency's spill prevention and emergency=20 response manager. President Bush has said that the oil and= gas=20 industry can open up ANWR without damaging the environment or = displacing=20 wildlife. But the native Gwich'in Nation, whose 7,000 members have = lived=20 in Alaska for more than 20,000 years, say President Bush is wrong.<= /P> "Existing oil development has displaced= =20 caribou, polluted the air and water and created havoc with the=20 traditional lifestyles of the people," said Jonathan Solomon, = chairman=20 of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a May 7, 2005, interview = with the=20 Financial Times. "No one can tell us that opening the Arctic Refuge= to=20 development can be done in an environmentally sensitive way with a = small=20 footprint. It cannot be done." Jason Leopold spent = two=20 years covering California's electricity crisis as Los Angeles = bureau=20 chief of Dow Jones Newswires. Jason has spent the last year = cultivating=20 sources close to the CIA leak investigation, and is a regular=20 contributor to t r u t h o u t.=20 ------- Jump to today's TO Features: =20 <= IMG=20 border=3D0 height=3D11=20 src=3D"http://www.truthout.org/imgs.site_01/2.print.gif" width=3D18= > =20 Print This Story= =20 E-mail This Story =

	=A9 : t r = u t h o u t=20 2006 \| t r u t h o u t \| town meeting \| issues \| environment \| = labor \| women \| health \| voter rights \|= multimedia \| donate \| <= A=20 href=3D"http://www.truthout.org/contact.htm">contact \| subscribe \| rss feed=20 \|

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----Original Message-----
From: Leslie Catherwood=20 [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006= 1:42=20 PM
To: Arctic Lobbying Team
Subject: [ak_lobby] E&E= News=20 PM

Sent to = ak_lobby=20 & ak_comms:

=20

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Without even mentioning the Arctic, Nussle could affect = drilling=20 debate

IOWA VIEW

LOREN FORBES
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER<= BR>

March 21, 2006

Technically, Iowa Rep. Jim Nussle didn't grant the oil industry and = its=20 lobbyists a huge favor last year. Technically, he didn't stick a = controversial=20 scheme to drill for oil in America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into = the=20 budget process he supervises.

No, technically, Nussle, R-Manchester,= =20 didn't do that. He just paved the way for it to happen.

Last year, = in a=20 process known as budget reconciliation — a process whose stated = purpose is=20 reducing the deficit — Nussle, chairman of the House Budget Committee= ,=20 instructed another congressional committee to find exactly $2.4 billion in = new=20 revenue for the government's coffers.

It just happens that $2.4 = billion=20 is the exact amount the Congressional Budget Office had speculated could be= =20 raised by leasing the Arctic Refuge to Exxon and its ilk.

Nussle = knew=20 exactly what his $2.4 billion budget loophole would be used for — to = authorize=20 oil drilling in the wildlife refuge.

Fortunately, the Arctic = drilling=20 scheme failed last year. But now, drilling backers are trying to revive it,= and=20 are looking to Nussle for help. The question is: Will Nussle once again = hand the=20 budget process over to the oil industry, or will he learn from his mistake = and=20 turn the lobbyists away at the door?

Regardless of how you feel = about=20 drilling in the Arctic Refuge, the federal budget is the wrong place to = decide=20 the issue. The question of whether to conserve or drill speaks to = enormously=20 important choices about our nation's stewardship of irreplaceable resources= .=20 It's much more than a line item on a budget spreadsheet.

Arctic = drilling=20 backers sought out the budget-reconciliation bill because is it not subject= to=20 filibuster, or sustained debate, in the Senate. This allows it to pass with= =20 fewer votes than other controversial bills.

When Congress evades the= =20 normal process to grease the skids for the oil industry, Americans have a = right=20 to be alarmed. Bobbing and weaving to avoid rules you don't like and votes = you=20 can't win may be business as usual in Washington, but Iowans expect more = from=20 their representatives. Integrity demands respecting the process.

= Besides,=20 on its own merits, drilling in the Arctic Refuge is a losing proposition. = The=20 refuge doesn't contain enough oil to make a serious dent in U.S. imports = and=20 would barely lower gas prices.

America sits atop just 3 percent of = the=20 world's oil reserves — including all the oil in Alaska — but = consumes one-fourth=20 of the world's daily oil production. No amount of domestic drilling is = going to=20 bridge that gap.

The Bush administration's own Department of Energy= =20 estimates that at peak production, 20 years after drilling would begin, = Arctic=20 Refuge oil would reduce gas prices by a grand total of one penny per gallon= .=20 That's the payoff for permanently scarring one of America's last unspoiled= =20 landscapes.

A much better path — the only real path in the = long-term — is=20 promoting conservation and increasing our use of alternative energy sources= such=20 as ethanol. With the right leadership, Iowa has the potential to become a=20 national leader in clean energy — energy we produce right here at = home. That's=20 the future, and Iowa's representatives in Washington should be pursuing it.= The=20 Arctic drilling scheme is a distraction. It represents the past.

= Nussle=20 never actually used the words "drill in the Arctic Refuge" in his budget=20 instructions last year. Instead, he used numbers to say the same=20 thing.

This year, will Nussle stand up for the basic principles of = good=20 governance, or will he let the oil industry win on a technicality? For the = sake=20 of Iowans and all Americans, let's hope he makes the right=20 choice.

LOREN FORBES, an Iowa City resident, is a member of the = board=20 of directors of the Iowa Wildlife Federation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] ----__JNP_000_0019.0b9d.58ca-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 09:20:17 EST Reply-To: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> Sender: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> From: Jerry Neff <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Grassley votes to drill in Arctic Refuge MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_280.7c168dd.315165a1_boundary" --part1_280.7c168dd.315165a1_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Phyllis, Below is the reply I got from Nussle on my latest phone call about=20 drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Is what they are discussing now, the budget f= or=20 2007?=20 March 20, 2006 Mr. Gerald M. Neff 18144 242nd Avenue PO Box 239 Pleasant Valley, Iowa=A0 52767 Dear Jerry: =A0 =A0 Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).=A0 It was good to hear from you, and I welcome this opportunity to respond. =A0 =A0 You shared your support for keeping ANWR out of the budget process.=A0 As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I appreciate learning your views on this issue.=A0 As you may know, I have been serving as Budget Committee Chairman for the past five years.=A0 During this time, I have worked to create fiscally responsible budgets that advance our nation's priorities, while meeting Iowa's needs.=A0 =A0 =A0 As you may know, the budgets I have drafted for previous fiscal years have not included directives concerning the management of ANWR.=A0 Congress approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 budget on February 1, 2006 and it became law with the President's signature on February 8.=A0 You may be interested to know that this budget reform bill did not open ANWR for drilling.=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Jerry, it is my honor and privilege to serve as Chairman of t= he House Budget Committee.=A0 I do not take this responsibility lightly.=A0 Please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress considers the President's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2007. =A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 Thank you again for contacting me.=A0 My best information comes from Iowans.=A0 By going to www.nussle.house.gov, you can e-mail your comments to me, be added to my email update list and learn more about the work I do in Congress.=A0 =A0 Sincerely, Jim Nussle Member of Congress You may not reply directly to this email.=A0 To reply to this message or to send me an email, please go to http://www.nussle.house.gov/email.htm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] --part1_280.7c168dd.315165a1_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Phyllis, Below is the reply I got from Nussle on my latest phone call about=20= drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Is what they are discussing now, the budget f= or 2007?

March 20, 2006

Mr. Gerald M. Neff
18144 242nd Avenue
PO Box 239
Pleasant Valley, Iowa=A0 52767

Dear Jerry:

=A0 =A0 Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).=A0 It was good to hear from
you, and I welcome this opportunity to respond.

=A0 =A0 You shared your support for keeping ANWR out of the budget
process.=A0 As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I appreciate
learning your views on this issue.=A0 As you may know, I have been
serving as Budget Committee Chairman for the past five years.=A0 During
this time, I have worked to create fiscally responsible budgets that
advance our nation's priorities, while meeting Iowa's needs.=A0

=A0 =A0 As you may know, the budgets I have drafted for previous fiscal
years have not included directives concerning the management of
ANWR.=A0 Congress approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 budget on
February 1, 2006 and it became law with the President's signature on
February 8.=A0 You may be interested to know that this budget reform bill did not open ANWR for drilling.=A0

=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 Jerry, it is my honor and privilege to serve as Chairman of t= he
House Budget Committee.=A0 I do not take this responsibility lightly.=A0
Please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress
considers the President's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2007.
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0
=A0 =A0 Thank you again for contacting me.=A0 My best information comes
from Iowans.=A0 By going to www.nussle.house.gov, you can e-mail your
comments to me, be added to my email update list and learn more about
the work I do in Congress.=A0 =A0
Sincerely,

Jim Nussle
Member of Congress

You may not reply directly to this email.=A0 To reply to this message
or to send me an email, please go to
http://www.nussle.house.gov/email.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] --part1_280.7c168dd.315165a1_boundary-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:26:53 EST Reply-To: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> Sender: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> From: Jerry Neff <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Budget bill drilling process MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_45.393865ae.3151ad7d_boundary" --part1_45.393865ae.3151ad7d_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a letter I received today from Grassley, dated March 1, I quote two paragraphs from his 3 page letter extolling the reasons to drill up there. "A 1998 US Geological Survey assessment found that the reserve could contain between 5.7 billion and 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The survey's mean volume of 10.4 billion barrels is enough to meet the demand for the entire state of Iowa for 132 years. This could replace 30 years of Saudi Arabian oil imports." "Some opponent have argued that the Arctic reserve would only fuel America's energy needs for six months. To suggest the potential oil resources are insignificant is akin to suggesting that all of the oil produced in east Texas--one million barrels a day--isn't worthwhile because it doesn't meet our entire demand. This is simply not true." The Senator is either misinformed, or we have been giving out wrong information for a few years. I tend to believe the former. Jerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] --part1_45.393865ae.3151ad7d_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a letter I received today from Grass= ley, dated March 1, I quote two paragraphs from his 3 page letter extolling=20= the reasons to drill up there.

"A 1998 US Geological Survey assessment found that the reserve could contain= between 5.7 billion and 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The survey's= mean volume of 10.4 billion barrels is enough to meet the demand for the en= tire state of Iowa for 132 years. This could replace 30 years of Saudi Arabi= an oil imports."

"Some opponent have argued that the Arctic reserve would only fuel America's= energy needs for six months. To suggest the potential oil resources=20= are insignificant is akin to suggesting that all of the oil produced in east= Texas--one million barrels a day--isn't worthwhile because it doesn't meet=20= our entire demand. This is simply not true."

The Senator is either misinformed, or we have been giving out wrong informat= ion for a few years. I tend to believe the former. Jerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] --part1_45.393865ae.3151ad7d_boundary-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 15:14:30 -0600 Reply-To: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> Sender: "Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements" <[log in to unmask]> From: Jane Clark <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Better directions to concert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In today's DM Register, there is an article about the performer for tomorrow night's concert with directions to Jester Park Lodge. Take Interstate Highway 35/80 exit 127 (Iowa Highway 141). Go north almost 7 miles on 141. After the big curve............. Turn north (right) onto NW 121st Street and drive 2 miles to a T-intersection. Straight ahead is a golf course. Take a right and then a slight curve left to a stop sign. Proceed straight ahead to the Lodge. Jane Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]