Can wildlife refuge and oil development coexist? Sometimes I feed my cat, Sammy Davis, Jr., a little olive oil to make his coat sleek. It's good for him. But only in moderation:I once caught Sammy in the turkey pan one Thanksgiving, licking up the drippings and greasy juices. He reminded me of the way a seagull caught in an oil slick looks. He was soaked with grease from his whiskers to his tail. His dining adventure ended with a tub full of warm bath water and claw marks all over my arms. I'm thinking oil and animals just don't mix.
Environmentalists for years have fought the development of the Artic National Wildlife Reserve, contending it would lead to a network of drilling platforms, pipelines and roads that would adversely impact the calving grounds of caribou, polar bears and migratory birds along the refuge's coastal plain. Not to mention what it does to the land.
John Kerry, the man who could have been our president if a bunch of dumbasses hadn't voted wrong (and they know they voted wrong evidently according to the spate of "buyers remorse" stories), said it clear and plain: "The fact is it's going to be destructive." Yesterday, democrats fell two votes short of the 51 needed to defeat ANWR drilling.
The GOP-speak trying to justify ANWR oil redevelopment has been that it's "a long process" before a final drilling measure clears Congress. Lawmakers must agree on the final budget, something they failed to do last year.
What's a neocon to do? Here's a thought: energy conservation! It could work a lot more effectively than further damaging the cause of conservation by threatening a place that is considered America's Serengeti. In case you're not clear on the subject, the animal habitat will be impacted if oil companies are allowed to come and put roads and equipment in their midst. For those who ask that famous GOP anti-environmentalist question, "but what's more important animals or people?" frankly there is nothing conclusive that says ANWR drilling will be a significant relief to American motorist. Some opponents say it will provide as little as six months relief. What's really weird about this is that The New York Times reported last month major oil companies are not that interested in drilling in ANWR. Their attitude is that there are bigger and better oil fields to drill.
Doesn't matter. W doesn't like inconvenient facts, nor do his minions. After all, these are the ilk of people who took the conserve out of conservation.
