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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2001

Whether to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gasl drilling was the subject of a debate held Tuesday night in Colorado.

Supporting development was Harold Heinze, an oil executive who said drilling was necessary to rid America of dependence on foreign sources. Septmber 11's terrorist attacks and the war on terrorism have made finding domestic oil more important, he said.

Opposing drilling was John Schoen, a scientist with an environmental group, who said the oil available in ANWR would not be enough to help U.S. consumption. He said putting the refuge at risk for just a few drop s of oil is not good for the environment.

Among Alaska Natives, views are mixed with Inupiats largely supporting drilling for financial benefits and the Gwich'in Nation opposing for fear of damage to the caribou herd that lives in the refuge.

Democrats in the Senate oppose drilling and have not brought the issue to the floor. Republicans are trying to find any possible way to get development approved.

Get the Story:
Drilling in Arctic refuge debated (The Denver Post 11/7)

Relevant Links:
Sen. Frank Murkowski - http://murkowski.senate.gov
Oil Issues in ANWR, US Fish and Wildlife - http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

Related Stories:
Murkowski: Not enough ANWR votes (11/5)
ANWR's 2,000-acre question (11/5)
Off-shore driling tests Inupiats (11/2)
Democrats hold own ANWR conference (11/1)
Vets support Arctic drilling (10/31)
Interior won't release polar bear report (10/30)
Inupiats: ANWR oil needed to survive (10/26)
ASRC supporting anti-drilling complaint (10/26)
Norton says ANWR mistake corrected (10/26)
'Attack' on Gwich'in decried (10/24)
Norton admits ANWR 'mistake' (10/23)
Norton staff rewrote Arctic drilling data (10/19)
Arctic drilling debate continues (10/15)
Bush promotes ANWR as home security (10/12)
ANWR spared in defense vote (10/3)
House approves limited Arctic drilling (8/2)
Bush makes last-ditch pitch for Arctic drilling (8/1)
House panel approves Arctic drilling (7/18)
Gwich'in Nation blind-sided by Norton visit (6/15)
Norton: Indian Country won't get ripped off (5/24)
Alaska Natives square off over Arctic drilling (5/18)
Campbell: Alaska Natives support drilling (4/25)
Gwich'in Nation: We Come from the Caribou (4/4)
GOP Senators unveil drilling proposal (2/27)