Anwr

Tasked with finding ways to save at least $1 billion over the next decade, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a marathon hearing Thursday to discuss the controversial idea of opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling.

Oil and natural gas development in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) moved one step closer to reality late Thursday, after the Senate rejected an amendment to block drilling in the refuge before passing a $4 trillion federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2018.

Alaska’s Republican contingent in the Senate urged their colleagues to reject an amendment to a budget resolution introduced by Democrats that would block potentially opening a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to energy development.

Following through on a Trump administration pledge to spur energy development in Alaska, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a secretarial order (SO) that includes provisions to jump-start oil and gas production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).

The state of Alaska Wednesday asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Daniel Ashe to reconsider and reverse the agency’s denial of the state’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Section 1002(e) exploration plan.

More than 1,000 North American scientists have called on President Bush to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil and natural gas drilling, urging the president to “support permanent protection of the coastal plain’s significant wildlife and wilderness values,” according to a letter published by an environmental group last week.

More than 1,000 North American scientists have called on President Bush to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil and natural gas drilling, urging the president to “support permanent protection of the coastal plain’s significant wildlife and wilderness values,” according to a letter published by an environmental group Monday.

House Democrats made clear last week that they favor some of the same actions as the Republicans to resolve the current energy crisis — improving the energy transmission/transportation infrastructure, increased drilling on public lands, expedited permitting for pipelines and production tax credits — but they insist these can be accomplished without compromising the environment.