[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 68 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S5117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-54. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Alaska relative to the Arctic National Wildlife 
     Refuge; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                       Legislative Resolve No. 5

       Whereas, in sec. 1002 of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
     Conservation Act (ANILCA), the United States Congress 
     reserved the right to permit further oil and gas exploration, 
     development, and production within the coastal plain of the 
     Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska; and
       Whereas, the oil industry, the state, and the United States 
     Department of the Interior consider the coastal plain to have 
     the highest potential for discovery of very large oil and gas 
     accumulations on the continent of North America, estimated to 
     be as much as 10,000,000,000 barrels of recoverable oil; and
       Whereas, the ``1002 study area'' is part of the coastal 
     plain located within the North Slope Borough, and residents 
     of the North Slope Borough, who are predominantly Inupiat 
     Eskimo, are supportive of development in the ``1002 study 
     area''; and
       Whereas, oil and gas exploration and development of the 
     coastal plain of the refuge and adjacent land could result in 
     major discoveries that would reduce our nation's future 
     need for imported oil, help balance the nation's trade 
     deficit, and significantly increase the nation's security; 
     and
       Whereas domestic demand for oil continues to rise while 
     domestic crude production continues to fall with the result 
     that the United States imports additional oil from foreign 
     sources; and
       Whereas development of oil at Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk, 
     Endicott, Lisburne, and Milne Point has resulted in thousands 
     of jobs throughout the United States, and projected job 
     creation as a result of coastal plain oil development will 
     have a positive effect in all 50 states; and
       Whereas Prudhoe Bay production is declining by 
     approximately 10 percent a year; and
       Whereas, while new oil field developments on the North 
     Slope of Alaska, such as Alpine, Badami, and West Sak, may 
     slow or temporarily stop the decline in production, only 
     giant coastal plain fields have the theoretical capability of 
     increasing the production volume of Alaska oil to a 
     significant degree; and
       Whereas opening the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge now allows sufficient time for planning 
     environmental safeguards, development, and national security 
     review; and
       Whereas the 1,500,000-acre coastal plain of the refuge 
     makes up only eight percent of the 19,000,000-acre refuge, 
     and the development of the oil and gas reserves in the 
     refuge's coastal plain would affect an area of only 2,000 to 
     7,000 acres, which is less than one-half of one percent of 
     the area of the coastal plain; and
       Whereas 8,000,000 of the 19,000,000 acres of the refuge 
     have already been set aside as wilderness; and
       Whereas the oil industry has shown at Prudhoe Bay, as well 
     as at other locations along the Arctic coastal plain, that it 
     can safely conduct oil and gas activity without adversely 
     affecting the environment or wildlife populations; and
       Whereas the state will ensure the continued health and 
     productivity of the Porcupine Caribou herd and the protection 
     of land, water, and wildlife resources during the exploration 
     and development of the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge, Alaska; and
       Whereas the oil industry is using innovative technology and 
     environmental practices in the new field developments at 
     Alpine and Northstar, and those techniques are directly 
     applicable to operating on the coastal plain and would 
     enhance environmental protection beyond traditionally high 
     standards; be it
       Resolved by the Alaska State Legislature, That the Congress 
     of the United States is urged to pass legislation to open the 
     coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 
     to oil and gas exploration, development, and production, and 
     that the Alaska State Legislature is adamantly opposed to 
     further wilderness or other restrictive designation in the 
     area of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife 
     Refuge, Alaska; and be it further
       Resolved, That that activity be conducted in a manner that 
     protect the environment and naturally occurring population 
     levels of the Porcupine Caribou herd and uses the state's 
     work force to the maximum extent possible; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Alaska State Legislature opposes any 
     unilateral reduction in royalty revenue from exploration and 
     development of the coastal plain of the Arctic National 
     Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, and any attempt to coerce the State 
     of Alaska into accepting less than the 90 percent of the oil, 
     gas, and mineral royalties from the federal land in Alaska 
     that was promised to the state at statehood.
       Copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable 
     George W. Bush, President of the United States; the Honorable 
     Richard B. Cheney, Vice-President of the United States and 
     President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Gale Norton, 
     Secretary of the Interior, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, 
     Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable 
     Trent Lott, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; to the 
     Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. 
     Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 
     members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and to all 
     other members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of 
     Representatives serving in the 107th United States Congress.

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