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Congressional Delegation to Head to ANWR

Date: March 3, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Energy Natural Resources


CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO HEAD TO ANWR

Sen. Murkowski to Host Senators, Cabinet Secretaries

Today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski took part in a press conference to announce that she will be hosting an upcoming Congressional Delegation trip to Alaska's North Slope and to ANWR. The delegation, led by Senate Energy Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM), will visit the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay, tour the Alpine oil fields and the coastal plain of ANWR, and will visit the village of Kaktovik. The tour includes Senators Murkowski and Domenici as well as Senators Jim Bunning (R-KY,) Bob Bennett (R-UT), John Thune (R-SD), Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton.

"I make the claim, and I think I can back it up, that what we do in Alaska when it comes to our oil and gas exploration and drilling is first rate, first class," Sen. Murkowski said. "Our production is in balance with the environment and we do it so that it is as non-disruptive to the environment as possible," Murkowski said and noted that the Congressional Delegation was going to visit Kaktovik, the only native village in ANWR, for a perspective on production from those who live in the area.

Domenici characterized the trip as a fact finding mission to explore ANWR and examine the progress that has been made in oil and gas drilling technology. During the press conference, Secretary Norton noted that the winter trip to ANWR was particularly ideal as it gives a perspective of how development actually takes place.

Secretary Bodman said that the Administration is deeply concerned about the current price of energy and is committed to expanding development of energy sources including exploration in ANWR.

The availability of energy "is an issue that affects the pocketbooks of every day Americans," Sen. Thune said. "It is the responsibility of the U.S. Congress…to make us as a nation more energy independent and to get to places like Alaska where we have reserves that can lessen our [foreign] dependence. I want to be actively engaged in the debate in the U.S. Senate on the energy bill. To me, going [to ANWR] and seeing it first hand, makes me much better equipped when the debate comes to the floor of the U.S. Senate to make the arguments and to have a first hand issue of what this issue is all about."

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=232814

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