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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Drilled

posted by on January 3 at 10:10 AM

Remember way back before 9/11 when the Bush administration was fumbling downed military planes in China and government stem-cell funding? Back when there was a lot of chatter by Cheney and other republicans that Alaska needed to be explored for oil? Well guess what’s happening now:

The federal government will open up nearly 46,000 square miles off Alaska’s northwest coast to petroleum leases next month, a decision condemned by enviromental groups that contend the industrial activity will harm northern marine mammals.

The Minerals Management Agency planned the sale in the Chukchi Sea without taking into account changes in the Arctic brought on by global warming and proposed insufficient protections for polar bears, walrus, whales and other species that could be harmed by drilling rigs or spills, according to the groups.

The lease sale in an area slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania was planned without information as basic as the polar bear and walrus populations, said Pamela A. Miller, Arctic coordinator with Northern Alaska Environmental Center. The lease sale is among the largest acreage offered in the Alaska region.

RSS icon Comments

1

Well, I suppose it was inevitable. Even during the 2000 election, they didn't hide their desire to expand oil exploration and drilling up there. I guess it's "buyer beware" on our part.

Posted by James | January 3, 2008 10:32 AM
2

Thanks Democrats for stopping this. Thank you so much.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger | January 3, 2008 10:36 AM
3

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I say.

Expect a firesale of natural resources by the bush admin over the next 12 months. Democrats will allow this as every time the repubs do it it will extend the dems future hold on power, allowing them to do the same fucking thing for the next 20 years.

It's politics, it's cyclical.

Posted by wisepunk | January 3, 2008 10:46 AM
4

I am gonna get SO drunk on January 20th next year....

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | January 3, 2008 10:48 AM
5

Screw the whales, kick their ass and take their gas.

Posted by Killer Driller | January 3, 2008 10:52 AM
6

I don't know if we can survive another year of this ...

340 days and a wakeup ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 3, 2008 10:53 AM
7

It's already too late.

Posted by monkey | January 3, 2008 11:15 AM
8

In terms of actual effects, this is probably worse than ANWR.

Posted by Fnarf | January 3, 2008 11:48 AM
9

as humans are horrid selfish monkeys, extraction of every last drop of petroleum is inevitable.

the sooner we extract it & burn it, the sooner its over.

why fight it? lie back & relax, earth.

Posted by max solomon | January 3, 2008 3:16 PM
10

Those walruses were asking for it. The bears, too.

Jesus Christ, we're going to be apologizing for Bush/Cheney FOREVER at this rate.

Posted by Jessica | January 3, 2008 3:23 PM

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