The Bush administration renewed its push to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton made two speeches about ANWR yesterday. She claimed that drilling in the refuge could supply certain states with decades of oil but refused to answer when asked how much oil could be supplied to the U.S. as a whole, The Washington Post reported.

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao then said drilling in ANWR could create a million jobs -- in as little as a year -- according to Congressional estimates. But the real figure from Congress is about 86,000 to 245,000 jobs. The million-job figure came from a conservative group, The Post reported.

Alaska Natives are divided on the issue. Inupiat Eskimos, who own surface and mineral rights in ANWR, support drilling. The Gwich'in Nation opposes development out of fear it will harm the Porcupine caribou herd that migrates through ANWR.

The Arctic Slope Regional Corp., which owns the subsurface rights, won't have to share revenues with the other Alaska Native regional corporations due to a secret land deal negotiated with the Reagan administration.

Get the Story:
Arctic Oil Gets an Administration Gusher (The Washington Post 12/13)
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White House pushes Congress on Alaska drilling (Reuters 12/12)

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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