> Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 08:49:16 -0600 > From: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Associated Press, 12-7-08: Arctic Oil lobbying > To: [log in to unmask] > > Excerpts from Assoc. Press. Besides the Oil lobby and Coalition of 29 > environmentalists, anyone can "lobby--contact" their own members of > Congress. Just because the price of oil has dropped dramatically does > not mean Bush/drill,baby. drill, crowd is not working overtime to give > away America's best places. You can write your members of Congress with > your own comments. This is grass roots lobbying. Phyllis Mains > > Anchorage, Alaska--With President-elect Barack Obama soon to be sworn in, > lobbying is under way in the nation's capital on numerous Alaska issues, > including Arctic oil and gas exploration, funding for rural development > and the environment. > > A coalition of 29 environmental groups has drawn up a 391-page set of > recommendations that gives Alaska issues top priority. > > The groups want to cancel or postpone offshore oil lease sales scheduled > for the Arctic, toughen permitting for leases already sold, and provide > permanent protection for a region inside the National Petroleum Reserve > Alaska. > > With any major political transition, lobbying for appointments is > intense--for Alaska, the biggest appointment is usually Secretary of the > Interior, whose department controls half of Alaska's lands, including > national parks and wildlife refuges, as well as oil and gas efforts of > the Minerals Management Service. > > The environmentalists' wish list for Alaska includes undoing several Bush > administration land swaps that have not been completed, including > exchanges that would open the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to oil > and gas development and allow construction of a road across Izembek > National Wildlife Refuge. > > They also want to expand roadless-area protections for the Tongass > National Forest, referring to logging on federal lands there as a "global > warming subsidy." > > Many of the environmentalist goals fit naturally with Obama's pledge to > address climate change and move America away from an oil-based economy, > said Earthjustice lawyer Eric Jorgenson, who traveled from Juneau to > Washington last week. > > "Under Bush, there was a rush to lease really the entire Arctic, > "Jorgenson said, referring to future lease sales listed under the federal > five-year plan. > ____________________________________________________________ > Free information on becoming a Graphic Designer. Click Now! > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw3huH505QAJZGBZJ6PHpCmBvAsetpZzKdwb5ffbyhedw906N/ > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: > [log in to unmask] > > Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp