OPENING OF ANWR NOT PUT TO VOTE IN SENATE

The Senate, debating U.S. energy legislation, last week avoided a vote on whether to allow petroleum operations on part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska. Sens. Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens, both Republicans from Alaska, decided not to force a vote on the issue. They announced their decision after returning to Alaska to meet with constituents and state legislators. Murkowski said leasing of the ANWR Coastal Plain would have affected only about 12,500 acres and noted

Feb. 24, 1992

2 min read

The Senate, debating U.S. energy legislation, last week avoided a vote on whether to allow petroleum operations on part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska.

Sens. Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens, both Republicans from Alaska, decided not to force a vote on the issue. They announced their decision after returning to Alaska to meet with constituents and state legislators.

Murkowski said leasing of the ANWR Coastal Plain would have affected only about 12,500 acres and noted that 30- other wildlife refuges have oil and gas development.

But the Alaska senators calculated they lacked the votes to prevent an ANWR leasing amendment from being tabled and could not force an up or-down vote on the issue of leasing itself.

He and Stevens said they might offer an ANWR leasing amendment on a future jobs bill.

Murkowski said, "ANWR represents one of the largest job projects ever placed before the U.S. Congress-735,000 jobs. It would address our balance of payments, reduce our dependence on imported oil, and create jobs."

He told other senators, "I assure you ANWR will come up again and again and again because it is the right thing to do. ANWR's time will come."

OTHER AMENDMENTS

In other action, the Senate rejected 57-41 an amendment by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) to require refunds for natural gas consumers found to have been overcharged.

The Senate approved an amendment by Sen. Bennett Johnston (D-La.) 53-45 to defuse an amendment by Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.). Graham proposed to bar the federal government from issuing Oil and gas leases within 100 miles of the Florida coast and require it to buy back 238 existing leases off the state.

Johnston, energy committee chairman, offered a replacement amendment to ban leasing south of 26 N. Lat. and east of 86 W. Long. until after 2000. It also ordered the Interior secretary, if funds can be found, to buy back existing leases in the area with full compensation to oil companies or consider offering them other leases in exchange.

The American Petroleum Institute had argued against the Graham amendment. Steve Chamberlain, API exploration director, said it would prevent leasing and development in a large part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, where major new oil and gas resources are likely to be found, and establish a "disastrous precedent" for all U.S. offshore production.