Great News

[benzocaine]

We have only 24 to 48 hours to try and save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Republicans are trying to sneak legislation through the Senate approving oil drilling and they are incredibly close to winning. We have to stop them.

I am joining with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) in offering a critical amendment to stop this sneak attack on our environment. We will fight on the floor of the Senate, but we need you by our side.

There are seven key Republican Senators whose votes will decide the future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Before they vote, we need to make sure they know that their constituents are watching, and that they will not be able to support drilling without anybody noticing.

Here are two critical steps we can take together to support our amendment to protect this National Wildlife Refuge:

1. Join the Citizens' Roll Call
First of all, take part in a massive fast-moving display of citizen support for the Arctic Refuge. Sign our Cantwell-Kerry Citizens' Roll Call now.

http://www.johnkerry.com/RollCall

To make our Citizens' Roll Call impossible to ignore, we have alerted the media, environmental advocates and my fellow Senators to a scrolling display of the names and home towns of the roll call signers. It is posted on our johnkerry.com website, where we hope to soon add your name and a running tally of the number of citizens on our Citizens' Roll Call.

2. Bring the fight to the home states of the seven senators
We need to launch emergency online advertising campaigns in the home states of those seven critical senators: Senator Coleman (MN), Senator Smith (OR), Senator Specter (PA), Senator Martinez (FL), Senator Lugar (IN), and Senators Gregg and Sununu (NH).

We need your help to bring our Save the Arctic Refuge message home in these six states. Help us fund an emergency ad campaign to make sure they know how strongly the people they represent feel about protecting the Arctic. Please make an emergency donation right now.

http://contribute.johnkerry.com/

When Senator Cantwell, myself and other Senators stand up in support of the Cantwell-Kerry Amendment, we will have powerful arguments on our side. (I have recapped some of those arguments at the end of this email message)

But, to win, we need to be able to report directly to our Senate colleagues that massive numbers of citizens around the country - and in their own states - are rising up to demand that the Senate protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

That's why your immediate signature is so critical.

http://www.johnkerry.com/RollCall

The Bush Administration and its oil industry allies want to send a message that they can drill for oil wherever and whenever they want to - even if it means targeting a place as striking, pristine and irreplaceable as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

They don't care about putting America on a genuine path to energy independence. If they did, they'd support efforts to increase energy conservation and to create clean, renewable sources of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foreign government can seize.

Let me be very direct with you. It is going to take an immediate and impossible-to-ignore display of grassroots support to stop them. That's why your decision to sign our Cantwell-Kerry Amendment Citizens' Roll Call is so crucial.

Thank you for acting quickly on this vital request.

John Kerry



P.S. Senator Cantwell, who comes from a state in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, has - at considerable political risk - courageously stepped forward to join me in leading this fight. We need you to help us win it.

http://www.johnkerry.com/RollCall

HERE ARE YOUR SAVE THE ARCTIC REFUGE TALKING POINTS
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's 19 million acres comprise one of the last places on earth where an intact expanse of arctic and sub arctic lands remains protected.
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge can't make even a small dent in meeting America's energy needs. U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate that there is very likely only enough oil to supply America's needs for six months. And oil companies admit that, even that, won't be available for at least 10 years.
An irreplaceable natural treasure, the Arctic Refuge is home to caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles, snow geese and more. Millions of other birds use the Arctic Refuge to nest and as a critical staging area on their migratory journeys.
Of course, the Arctic Refuge supports more than wildlife. For a thousand generations, the Gwich'in people of Northeast Alaska and Northwest Canada have depended on it and lived in harmony with it. To them, the Arctic Coastal Plain is sacred ground.

[Doug Erickson]

[Republicans] don't care about putting America on a genuine path to energy independence. If they did, they'd support efforts to increase energy conservation and to create clean, renewable sources of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foreign government can seize.

Really?

Pre-9/11, pre-terrorist oil field sabotaging:

CNN: Bush energy plan attempts to spur sale of hybrid vehicles

From last month:

MSNBC: Bill would expand hybrid tax credits--
Incentives have bipartisan and presidential support

HERE ARE YOUR SAVE THE ARCTIC REFUGE TALKING POINTS
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's 19 million acres comprise one of the last places on earth where an intact expanse of arctic and sub arctic lands remains protected.
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge can't make even a small dent in meeting America's energy needs. U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate that there is very likely only enough oil to supply America's needs for six months. And oil companies admit that, even that, won't be available for at least 10 years.
An irreplaceable natural treasure, the Arctic Refuge is home to caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles, snow geese and more. Millions of other birds use the Arctic Refuge to nest and as a critical staging area on their migratory journeys.
Of course, the Arctic Refuge supports more than wildlife. For a thousand generations, the Gwich'in people of Northeast Alaska and Northwest Canada have depended on it and lived in harmony with it. To them, the Arctic Coastal Plain is sacred ground.

Ah, modern politics. Everything must be reduced to talking points.

So how many of the 19 million acres will be sullied by this drilling? Kerry makes it sound like about 18 million.

Even if they drilled in as much as 1 million acres, which is ludicrous, that would still only be about 5% of the Refuge. I think the caribou and polar bears would probably still make do with the other 95%.

I'd also be interested to see what sources Kerry uses to support his claims that "U.S. Geological Survey scientists estimate that there is very likely only enough oil to supply America's needs for six months" and "oil companies admit that, even that, won't be available for at least 10 years."

-Doug

[Bill Glasheen]

Ben

I have to tell you, this smacks more of politics, and a lot less of common sense.

So it's OK for us to drill for oil on U.S. land within the 48 states where there is a high density of human, animal, and plant life, but somehow the Artic desert is off limits because we might damage it?

Furthermore...

They don't care about putting America on a genuine path to energy independence. If they did, they'd support efforts to increase energy conservation and to create clean, renewable sources of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foreign government can seize.

Damn... That one is funny!

So, just what is this clean, renewable source of energy that no terrorist can sabotage and no foregin government can seize? Please let Rich and I know. We're tired of fighting each other over fuel cells and hybrids.

And besides, what Arab in his right mind is going to drive his sweaty, tanned ass up to "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" to set off his car bomb? Oh my... Just the picture of that makes my morning.

My dear friend, this battle is not worth fighting. Where is the vision? Where are the programs actually to DO something? There's a good reason why Congress has been going way, way down in the opinion polls of recent. All we see are neat things going on around the world, and obstructionist behavior in Congress.

Seize the brass ring! Go find a positive cause and have the Republicans scrambling to keep up.

- Bill

[benzocaine]

I'm not exactly championing Kerry on this one.. though I agree we need to work on cleaner sources of feul.. and I'd rather not see the artic refuge getting drilled into simply because it's one of the few remaining un molested places in our country.

I recieved the e mail and thought for sure everyone would enjoy it I probably should have made it into a thread on it's own.

[RACastanet]

I wonder if anyone defending this pristine area has actually ever been to Alaska? In my many travels I had the opportunity to spend a week in Alaska, see the pipelines, ports, pumping stations etc.

The area in question is really small. There is nothing there at all. All of the worries about the pipeline have proved to be nonsense. In fact, the pipeline and plants have proven to be great habitiat for the local wildlife. The heat generated by the equipment created havens for wildlife and the flora. The entire food chain from lichens to polar bears has benefitted, not to mention the economy of the entire state.

The proposed sites will be well monitored and clean. If you do not believe me, go up and take a look at the pumping and pipeline infrastructure that has been in place for over 25 years now.

Been there and seen it!

Rich

[chewy]

I don't necessarily have a problem with drilling in this pristine landscape as long and meaningful measures are taken to protect its future. As has already been pointed out by Rich and others, we've already done this once before in Alaska without any major ill affects to the environment. We should be able to do things even better this time arround with several decades of experience in drilling and laying pipe under our belts.

My real issue with this thing is: are we doing it for the reasons provided by the bill's supporters? My feeling is the answer is "no"; this is more about making money for GW's oil croanies than saving the American economy from collapse due to high oil prices. Do a little research on what many experts (on both sides of the political landscape) are saying about the potential oil reserves in Alaska. Most will tell you that even in the best case scenario, the oil we pump up there wil have little impact on global oil supplies (or our own).

Like so many other political issues the "real reasons" behind a particular agenda are often clouded by a set data that will get the American public to agree with the agenda; even though this information has nothing to do with the real purpose. I could list several examples of this, but I think we all know what I am talking about. Both parties are equally guilty of it.


cheers,

chewy

[RACastanet]

We win! drilling will commence immediately.

To chewy's point, there may not be that much oil up there. And in fact the oil companies may choose not to drill. But, now they can make the investment to see if there is a profitable amount to drill for. And profits are not illegal. They drive our country.


"economy... collapse due to high oil prices"

This is highly unlikely. Since the oil shocks of the 70s/80s the US economy has cut the amount of energy needed for $1 of economic output in half. Also, in constant $$, oil will need to hit about $100 a barrel to match the peak of the early 80s. Possible but unlikely. As unpleasant as the oil shocks were they made the US economy stronger and more resilient.

Should the cost of oil soar as some doomsayers believe, US shale oil reserves, coal gasification and hydrogen fuels will all be competitive sources of energy and we have lots of those raw materials.

Rich

[Bill Glasheen]

economy... collapse due to high oil prices

Personally I'd be happy if we leave all our oil underground and pump our terrorist neighbors dry. That way their oil gets sold on the cheap, and what we have left is worth more down the road. It's an interesting theory to ponder.

Furthermore...

Much of the really neat stuff we can do in terms of renewable and alternative energy sources won't happen as long as we have cheap oil. And in constant dollars, oil really is pretty cheap. I'd be happy to see it quadruple. Then you'd see some real innovation! And then you'd see those bird-brained suburbanites crawling out of their suburban assault vehicles and back into something more pleasant to look at (and around).

Just read an article a few days ago about a Hollywood actor who bought a Dump Truck - because he could. It's a mad caricature of the nonsense that your average soccer mom and dad are driven to own.

Profit isn't a dirty word. Lack of it stifles creative thinking. Somebody or something has to pay my R&D salary! And as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

- Bill

[Guest]

How are you going to get that American oil south?

[RACastanet]

Pipeline. We did it in the 70s and we can do it again. The pipeline has been very successful.

Rich

[Guest]

Maybe we don't want your pipe line on our land Rich. Maybe you'll have to fly it in

I'd say if you need energy we have some to sell. And their is already a pipeline.

I'd say until the USA starts fair trade with Canada you can keep your energy in Alaska.

Won't listen to the WTO on soft wood lumber, don't want borders opened up to Canadian beef products....Fine Keep your energy up north. We don't want to open our borders to it.

Better stock up on some wool from New Zealand Rick.

Just my point of view...but it's not uncommon.

Laird

[RACastanet]

The Trans Alaska Pipeline runs from Prudhoe Bay due south to the port at Valdez, AK. Oil is loaded into tankers at that point for the rest of the trip.

The area -ANWR- being discussd is in the northeast corner of Alaska and runs along the Acrtic Ocean and the border with Canada.

The pipeline runs very close to ANWR and there may be plans to tap into it or build a new pipeline that runs prallel to the existing one. Either way the pipeline stays out of Canada and runs to an existing year round port. That routing would save a lot of time and $$.

Here is a website for the pro drilling folks:

http://www.anwr.org/

Rich

[Guest]

Damn we just can't make a cent off you folks,just keep the Capt. sober .

Rich your a good man, had a side bet going that you would promote invasion you cost me a beer!

I also believe Alaska is a good solution to your energy woes. Just poking the bear for fun. I think George W is a great leader and even though eco types are up in arms over this, I think the ship has a great leader at the helm.

And you probably know how fond I am of "enviro mental" zealots.


Part of me likes the idea of an invasion however...it's the only way I'll ever get my hands on a real hummer. Hey even if it's surplus it's better than what I can find to play with up here.

Laird

[RACastanet]

Here is a site with the map showing ANWR and the existing pipeline.

http://www.anwr.org/docs/CloseupofareaIII.pdf

After the Exxon Valdez episode the US mandated double hull oil tankers so it is unlikely the event would be repeated.

I saw the ship in a drydock being repaired. Tankers are huge but until you walk under one you do not really appreciate the size.

In June of 1989 I was in Alaska, and that was not long after the spill. The Alaskans in general were pretty mad at the media as they gave the impression to the world that Alaska was one big gooey mess. As they rely on tourism, hunters and fishermen to help support the economy the resulting cancellations really hurt. As bad as the spill sounded, it was contained to a small area and there was little effect to the state overall.

And I can personally attest that the run of King Salmon was unaffected! I'll look around for some pics to post.

Rich

[Guest]

If they are bigger than these I don't want to see them I spent some time on the northern coast of BC , it's still Gods country!

The media and the save the world types have a long history of blowing things out of proportion.

When I lived in Kitimat their was no housing available so I tented for a few months until some one left town and a place was available to rent. I was lucky the snow came two weeks later.

I remember sitting on a stump cooking breakfast and watching a grizzly bear walk right thru the center of my camp. didn't even give me or the bacon a second look. He made a bee line for the river, the salmon were running!

I miss the north. Post your pictures Rich. I haven't made it to Alaska yet...but hope too one day!

Laird