Campbell: Drill ANWR

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2002

In an opinion piece published in The Denver Post, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) says the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be open to oil and gas drilling because Inupiat Eskimos on the North Slope support development.

"The federal government should not tell a native people what to do with its own land," Campbell, vice-chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, writes.

Arctic Slope Regional Corp., an Alaska Native corporation, owns subsurface rights to about 92,000 acres of land in ANWR. Kaktovik Inupiat Corp., a village corporation, owns surface rights to the land.

Both corporations stand to gain if drilling occurs on the land. Although the entities aren't tribes, Campbell says he believes in the Inupiat's right to "self determination."

Campbell also criticizes the energy bill that is to expected to be debated in the Senate starting tomorrow. He says it was crafted by Democrats in secret and reflects non-partisan concerns.

Get the Story:
Campbell: Energy bill debate promises to be heated (The Denver Post 3/3)
Energy issues reach from San Juan County to Washington ion (The Farmington Daily-Times 3/3)

Relevant Links:
Oil Issues in ANWR, US Fish and Wildlife - http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org