Senator Murkowski Commends Energy Committee for Passage of ANWR Legislation

SENATOR MURKOWSKI COMMENDS ENERGY COMMITTEE FOR PASSAGE OF ANWR LEGISLATION

Sen. Lisa Murkowski today commended the Energy and Natural Resources Committee for taking up and passing its budget reconciliation legislation which will authorize limited oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The legislation passed the Committee this afternoon by a vote of 13-9. "Today is a very good day in the three decade battle to open ANWR to limited development and I want to recognize the good work of Chairman Domenici for helping us make today a reality," Sen. Murkowski said. "Today's success brings us one step closer to opening ANWR."

Murkowski noted that the Committee was successful in marking-up a budget measure free from extraneous amendments that may hinder the inclusion of ANWR in the final budget reconciliation bill. "In order to meet the procedural requirements, we couldn't add anything to the measure that didn't directly relate to revenue raising," Murkowski said. "There were several amendments that were presented to us that would have subjected us to a procedural violation so it was important that a good clean bill get through the committee.

"In order to enact the environmental protections that we need when we do open ANWR, Sen. Stevens and I, along with Sens. Akaka and Inouye of Hawaii, introduced separate legislation this morning that is free from such budget restrictions.

"I'm now more hopeful than I have been that we will pass a final budget bill in a few weeks, and it will contain ANWR.

"We have long advocated for production out of ANWR. And today, while we are facing record gasoline prices and record imports of foreign oil, we have taken a very good step toward securing America's domestic energy production.

"Production rates from ANWR are estimated to be between 600,000 and 1.6 million barrels per day. Oil is currently trading at about $63 dollars a barrel. Producing an additional 900,000 to 1 million barrels a day at that price would mean that somewhere between $57 million and $63 million dollars each day could go into the U.S. economy instead of being spent overseas to buy foreign oil.

"We know that we can explore for oil and gas in the Arctic safely and responsibly without harming the environment. I look forward to taking up the budget reconciliation on the Senate Floor and to surmounting what will hopefully be the final few hurdles on our way to oil production in the Arctic."

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=247456