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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002

President Bush told members of a joint House-Senate conference committee that he wants an energy policy bill that allows drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"The president said, 'I want an energy bill, and I want ANWR in it,'" Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) told The Anchorage Daily News as he recounted yesterday's White House meeting.

The House passed a version that allows development on a 2,000-acre "footprint." The Senate version doesn't authorize oil or gas drilling.

Most Senate Democrats on the joint committee negotiating the bill oppose drilling. Most of these members were not drawn from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, however. Several Democrats on that panel support development.

Get the Story:
President gives ANWR a push (The Anchorage Daily News 9/26)
Oil firms restate support for ANWR, gas line (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 9/26)
GOP looking for compromise on Alaskan refuge drilling (AP 9/25)

Relevant Links:
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Willdife Service - http://arctic.fws.gov
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

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