Interior Secretary Gale Norton said the Bush administration will seek to drill on more public lands and in off-shore areas in response to the recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita showed the "vulnerability of having all the energy supplies and refining and processing capacity in one geographic area," Norton said in an interview with The New York Times. "The hurricanes have brought more attention to the fundamental issue," she said.

Norton has promote efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The administration has sought to speed up the review process for development on public lands.

Get the Story:
Interior Secretary Says U.S. Will Push Search for Energy (The New York Times 9/28)
pwnyt

Relevant Links:
Arctic Slope Regional Corp - http://www.asrc.com
Gwic'hin Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
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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