Facebook Twitter Email
MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2002

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's political aides pushed for a re-evaluation of a report which said drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would hurt a caribou herd considered sacred by an Alaskan tribe.

As a result, department scientists have released a new assessment of how development might impact the environment. According to The Washington Post, which obtained the two-page update, the findings affecting the Porcupine caribou herd have been reversed.

The department says the initial study was based on scenarios that are not going to happen under a plan to limit the above-ground drilling footprint to 2,000 acres. The House approved a bill including the restriction while the Senate is set to debate energy this week.

Republicans are playing tough, reports Roll Call. They are threatening to kill the bill unless drilling is added.

Get the Story:
GOP May Pull Energy Bill (Roll Call 4/8)
Limited Arctic Drilling Won't Harm Caribou, Scientists Say (The Los Angeles Times 4/8)
Warnings On Drilling Reversed (The Washington Post 4/7)
Senate to Decide Arctic Oil Debate (AP 4/5)

Get the Report (Note: links on this page are slow to download):
Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Terrestrial Wildlife Research Summaries (U.S. Geological Survey Biological Science Report: USGS/BRD/BSR-2002-0001, March 29, 2001)

Relevant Links:
Gwich'in Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

Related Stories:
New ANWR analysis questioned (4/5)
Bush discounting drilling report (4/1)
Drilling report was held back (4/1)
Gwich'in activist still at it (3/25)
Pros and Cons: Arctic Drilling (3/19)
Among Inupiat Eskimos, an 'injustice' (3/13)
Senate takes up energy bill (3/6)
Campbell: Drill ANWR (3/4)
For or against, Inupiats tied to off-shore drilling (11/2)
Inupiats press for oil drilling in ANWR (10/26)
ASRC supporting anti-drilling complaint (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)