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FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2002

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton has rejected two draft reports written during the Clinton administration that challenged whether drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would violate an international treaty protecting polar bears.

But the agency that authored the reports, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has changed its mind anyway. The biologists believe that oil and gas development can be done without impacting the polar bears, so long as drilling is done responsibly.

Acting agency director Marshall Jones, a career employee, admits there was debate over the issue. An Interior Solicitor had told the agency in a memo to rewrite the draft reports.

Norton and her aides have been at odds with Fish and Wildlife. She turned in testimony to Congress that altered the agency's views on drilling to make them pro-development.

Norton also forgot to submit critical comments by the agency to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan that relaxed wetland protections.

In related Arctic news, President Bush yesterday teamed up with labor boss James P. Hoffa to promote ANWR drilling as a way to increase jobs.

Bush and the Teamsters leader were also there to put pressure on the Senate to act on an energy bill. The House last summer passed a bill to allow exploration of oil and gas in the refuge but the Senate, under control of Democrats who oppose drilling, did not act on the issue last year.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (R-N.M.), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has authored an energy package but Arctic drilling is not part of it.

Get the Story:
Interior: Drilling Won't Violate Polar Bear Pact (The Washington Post 1/18)
Drilling in ANWR will not hurt bears, Interior says (AP 1/18)
Bush joins Hoffa in ANWR push (The Anchorage Daily News 1/18)
Bush and Teamsters meet on common cause: Energy (The Philadelphia Inquirer 1/18)

Relevant Links:
Gwich'in Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
Oil Issues in ANWR, US Fish and Wildlife - http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service - http://arctic.fws.gov
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

Related Stories:
Report: Norton missed deadline on plan (1/14)
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 supporters say don't have votes (10/12)
ANWR had votes to clear Senate panel (10/11)
Okla. lawmakers see hope for energy (10/11)
I'm not President but I play one on TV (10/11)
Bingaman halts Senate energy bill (10/10)
Bingaman: Scale back energy tax breaks (10/9)
ANWR spared in defense vote (10/3)