Letter To The Editor In The Washington Times, April 2, 2003
By James L. Martin
“With reference to your March 30th article “Bush to renew push for Alaskan oil in House”, let me say I believe one of the more critical tasks before the 108th Congress will be crafting acceptable legislation to allow for oil drilling in Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge.
Our country is now at war with Iraq. Our country is also in its 19th month of a bigger
war — the war on terrorism. These are reasons enough to get on with it. But some legislators — the same ones who delighted in jamming progress during the 107th
Congress — would have us believe otherwise.
Recall: The House voted to support many of the measures the Bush Administration put forward in their comprehensive national energy policy, the symbolic lead of which was drilling in ANWR. But the Senate diddled and did nothing. Members like Daschle, Kennedy, Lieberman and Kerry allied with environmentalists and their powerful lobbies in favor of preventing oil exploration in the area.
But America must — MUST — reduce dependence upon foreign oil.
ANWR is a 19.5 million acre coastal plain in the frozen tundra of Northern Alaska. Lying beneath the frigid ground is an estimated 16 billion barrels of oil, what Interior Secretary Gale Norton says is the “single greatest prospect for on-shore oil and gas development of any place in the United States.” It is believed that with just 2,000 acres of the North Slope opened for drilling, we’d be able to provide more than half of the oil we presently import from the Persian Gulf, and do so for the next 25 years.
America needs this natural resource and we need it now.
Energy drives our country. Energy promotes national security. Energy provides jobs, powers buildings and factories, enables our automobiles to transport us where we need to go — and yes, it is the engine behind what our fighting men and women overseas require to do their enormously difficult task. We can offer our freedom fighters, both home and away, nothing less than the tools to do what needs to be done. Responsible drilling in Alaska’s North Slope can be met with great care for the environment. We know that. Now let’s get on with it.
On behalf of the seniors I am proud to represent, the vast majority of whom are military veterans, the 60 Plus Association calls on Congress to do what a war-time Congress ought; support our troops and the undeniable interests of both security and growth in America.
