A controversial plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge may come to a final vote this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.
For 25 years, environmentalists have successfully opposed oil drilling in the 1.5-million-acre Alaskan refuge that shelters birthing caribou as, well as musk oxen and millions of migratory birds, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
But record-high gasoline prices and recent election Republican election gains have increased support for the proposal that has been attached to the budget bill.
The Senate last week approved the measure and the House is to vote this week on nearly identical language.
"I'm optimistic," Bob Moran, an American Petroleum Institute lobbyist who estimates at least 5 billion barrels of oil lie beneath the refuge, told the Post:
Opponents argue the plan would save Americans just one penny per gallon of gasoline by 2025.
"It's become almost a symbol for both sides," said Cindy Shogan, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, which opposes drilling, told the newspaper. "The question is whether the American people and their culture are going to protect the places that are special or develop everything."
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Related stories:
S.Korean police arrest four over massive customer data theft
South Korean police on Sunday arrested four people over the theft of data on 11 million customers of a local oil refiner in what is being called the country's largest-ever data leak.
Limits on futures trading could boost gas prices, expert says
Proposals to reign in wallet-draining gasoline prices by curbing speculation in oil markets would likely increase costs at the pump instead of trimming them, a University of Illinois economist says.
U.S. House votes to protect more coastline
Observers said the U.S. Senate this week is expected to approve a plan to protect 1,000 square miles off the California coast from oil drilling.
Adults living with children eat more fat than do other adults
Adults living with children eat more saturated fat -- the equivalent of nearly an entire frozen pepperoni pizza each week -- than do adults who do not live with children, according to a University of Iowa and University of Michigan Health System study.
GOP surrenders on Arctic drilling plan
House Republican leaders have unexpectedly agreed to remove a proposal allowing oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge from a pending budget bill.
AP Investigation: Ike environmental toll apparent
(AP) -- Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
Lawmakers make a final push for mental health bill
(AP) -- Solving the nation's economic crisis may also help Americans struggling with getting treatment for mental illness. These patients often face an added burden: limited insurance coverage compared with people whose ills are physical. The massive economic bill coming before the House addresses that problem.
No longer depressed, or on meds
Henry Quant was just 5 years old and bedridden with chronic fevers when he began taking pills for anxiety and depression. His mother knew that the drugs helped, but they made her nervous.