Beck, Boehner: Arctic Refuge Is A ‘Wasteland,’ Wildlife ‘Couldn’t Care Less’ About Drilling
Beck, Boehner: Arctic Refuge Is A ‘Wasteland,’ Wildlife ‘Couldn’t Care Less’ About Drilling
Last night, on Glenn Beck’s CNN Headline News program, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) falsely claimed that wildlife in Alaska are not affected by oil operations in Alaska. Animals “couldn’t care less whether…the pipeline was there, or the oil company was there,” he said. Glenn Beck similarly argued that wildlife can’t tell if the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline is a “tree or a pipeline,” and said that the northern reaches of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — where Boehner hopes to drill — are a “barren wasteland.” Watch it:
Beck and Boehner are wrong. Far from “not caring” about the presence of oil operations at the 800-square mile Prudhoe Bay facility, native species are dramatically affected. Scientific surveys have shown that the Central Arctic caribou herd has been “crowded out” due to drilling:
[The survey] showed that the caribou reduced their use of the more heavily developed Prudhoe Bay oil fields by 78 percent, and their east-west movements declined by 90 percent — a sign oil activity can impact a herd’s movements.
‘As surface development continues, the caribou are effectively crowded out of these areas,’ said Cameron, the University of Alaska professor, who has studied the effects of roads and pipelines on the Central Arctic herd. ‘They’ve decided it’s not the place to be.’
In addition, the northern reaches of the Refuge — where Boehner proposes drilling — are not a “barren wasteland,” as conservatives like Beck and the Heritage Foundation would have you believe. In fact, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Refuge’s northern edge is home to “a greater degree of ecological diversity than any other similar sized area of Alaska’s north slope.”
What’s more, despite Boehner’s claim to have first hand knowledge of the Refuge’s terrain and wildlife as a result of his recent trip to Alaska, he never set foot inside the reserve, and his view from the air was obscured by fog.
Transcript:
BECK: Wow, look how pretty that is. It’s flat, it’s watery. Mosquito infested for your enjoyment during the summer months. It looks exactly like Prudhoe Bay which is just a couple hundred miles in the other direction. We have been drilling for oil there for years. And when all the cute caribou leave for the winter, ANWR looks even more like Prudhoe Bay; a snowy, barren wasteland that, I say, looks pretty good with that big oil well sticking out of it. Now, if you don’t want to drill in a desolate, frozen tundra we bought for its natural resources, that’s fine. I think you’re an idiot, but who am I to judge? But an important issue like this, shouldn’t we at least, have an honest debate? Shouldn’t we prevent — present the facts honestly to each other? Don’t we owe it to each other and our country?
BOEHNER: Yes, the whole area on the northern coast of Alaska, Prudhoe Bay, where we have been drilling for 30 years, where we’ve produced almost 12 billion barrels of oil, it’s right in the middle of that northern coast. And the National Petroleum Reserve is just west of it, and ANWR, the coastal area the 1002 area is just east of it.
It’s a broad, coastal plain. There’s nothing there. There is an Eskimo tribe that lives near this ANWR area; a group of 240 people who actually want us to drill because they know we can drill in a responsible way, but there’s nothing there. Now, I saw caribou, but I saw more caribou at Prudhoe Bay, and over at the National Petroleum Reserve than I saw over at ANWR.
BECK: I want to show you some pictures a friend of mine sent to me. I swear to you, I thought this was enhanced. I thought, there was no way; that somebody put this caribou in. Look at this picture. Tell me if this is anything like what you saw in Prudhoe Bay.
BOEHNER: Yeah. We saw — we were at the beginning of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. There were 25 of us there talking, milling around, and there were a handful of caribou that just kept walking towards us and towards us. They were 30 yards away from us, and they couldn’t care less whether we were there, the pipeline was there, or the oil company was there.
BECK: A picture of the bear. The bear is a bear. He doesn’t know if it’s a tree or a pipeline.
BOEHNER: We were out on a man-made island, out in the Arctic Sea, man-made by British Petroleum, and they asked us to be careful when we went outside that day because there was a polar bear out earlier. And they looked under the building because the polar bear likes to get under the building. If you have got polar bears and you’ve got caribou, it’s clear that we can drill in a environmentally friendly way.
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Last night, on Glenn Beck’s CNN Headline News program, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) falsely claimed that wildlife in Alaska are not affected by oil operations in Alaska. Animals “couldn’t care less whether…the pipeline was there, or the oil company was there,” he said. Glenn Beck similarly argued that wildlife can’t tell if the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline is a “tree or a pipeline,”
Why certainly ; every animal knows that pipelines have leaves on them like trees do………..
July 24th, 2008 at 7:05 pm…and who knows ‘wasteland’ better than the guys at FOX?
rimshot
Thankyouthankyouverrymuch….
July 24th, 2008 at 7:06 pmGeorge H. W. Bush said in 1991, in reference to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, “The caribou love it. They rub against it and they have babies.”
- - Good grief, no doubt how W. was conceived.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:06 pmGlenn Beck similarly argued that wildlife can’t tell if the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline is a “tree or a pipeline,”
- - And wildlife can’t tell if Glenn Beck is animal, mineral or a brick.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:08 pmWe’re doing this again? I guess the Low Information Voters really need to have this propoganda pounded into their heads.
And again, with the caribou? Geez, you’d think the GOP ran a petting zoo or something - they are so smart about wildlife.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:08 pm(yeah, I know they’re on CNN, but the ignorance is so endemic of FOX that I tend to group the idioti of the conservatives into the media loudmouth that is FOX….it’s basically interchangeable anyway…) :)
July 24th, 2008 at 7:09 pmNotice Beck didn’t ask the people of Valdez about the issue. Exxon continues their evil ways, challenging the payment of interst at the Supreme Court.
http://peureport.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 07/ exxon-begs-supremes-for-greater-valdez.html
July 24th, 2008 at 7:10 pm4. Badmoodman Says:- - And wildlife can’t tell if Glenn Beck is animal, mineral or a brick.
You meant a “P” not a “B,” right?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pmThe Republicans simply do not care about the actual facts. To them, it is a wasteland because there are no roads, houses or McDonalds.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:12 pmDon’t be surprised if the Caribou greet us as liberators!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:13 pmWhat will the GOP rape once the treasury and planet are ruined?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pmThe oil companies need to drill to find Iraq’s/Saddam’s missing WMD’s…………
July 24th, 2008 at 7:17 pmEverybody knows:
July 24th, 2008 at 7:20 pm1) All that oil will go into the world market, making profits for the companies, but not effecting the price of oil in ANY significant way in the USofA…But you can’t get Murkins to believe that. They believe it’s THEIR oil. But it’s not. It’s Exxon’s oil, and BP’s oil, and Chevron’s oil…
2) Not until at least 4 years, at the most optimistic estimate, can the first barrel of oil come out of the ground.
3) To be delivered through the most vulnerable of all possible systems, an undefended and indefensible pipeline. An adequate marksman (broad side of a barn?), could cripple it.
StratRat Says:
What will the GOP rape once the treasury and planet are ruined?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
They’ve already started on the poor and disabled…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:22 pmWhat will the GOP rape once the treasury and planet are ruined?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
They’ve already started on the poor and disabled…
But the decider seems to have an unhealthy affinity for Caribou rubbing his pipeline…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:23 pmUgly Americans:
If it’s oil, it’s ours!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:23 pmANWR oil will go into the Alaska Pipeline which by law must be pumped into US tankers and shipped to US ports.
Where the Chinese tankers are loaded and the oil is shipped across the world…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pmGuess the Boner put on his “I’m a scientist” hat. That makes him so smart it boggles the mind.
Jimmy, I would like it if scum like you did not use Seattle for any reference, we Seattlelites are not Repukian friendly.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:27 pmUmm, Zooey, ANWR is on federal land. It _IS_ ours.
Jim Wilke… are you suggesting NATIONALIZING an oil company?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:27 pmJim Wilke Says:
ANWR oil will go into the Alaska Pipeline which by law must be pumped into US tankers and shipped to US ports.
He says by law.
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa
***takes deeeeeep breath***
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa
Name one thing this administration has done according to the laws of the land. More comedy stylings by Jimbo.
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa
July 24th, 2008 at 7:28 pmNow the Republicans speak for wildlife?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:29 pmJim Wilke Says:
And if any of you actually want to look at some photographic evidence, go here:
Of you being tortured? Sure, post ‘em up and we’ll take a look. Love to…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:30 pmFrom Jim’s link:
Lien said that about 75 percent of the people he encountered were in support of drilling for oil there. “For many of them, it was a no-brainer,” Lien said.
… aw, man, it’s just too easy. Where’s the fun in that?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:31 pmI don’t know who jim wilki is but he’s uneducated and deluded about the oil going into the pipe line…If they drill there it is going to japan by tanker’s…Exxon and other’s already stated that the last few time’s this crap came up….Some one has the fact’s and statement’s to prove this, they had hearing’s on it more then once in the past few year’s….Blessings all
July 24th, 2008 at 7:31 pmIf, as the fascisti claim, energy independence is a national security interest, that is the ONLY rational conclusion.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:32 pmBeck and Boehner, Doolittle and Dooless. Now they’re talking to the animals?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:36 pmJim Wilke Says:
Umm, Zooey, ANWR is on federal land. It _IS_ ours.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Explain Iraq, dipshit.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:36 pmWell, if Gale Norton has endorsed this plan- then that’s different! I mean you can hardly find a more objective observer than GALE NORTON can you? Sure, she’s no scientist but she is a libertarian lawyer who knows about how she feels about how science should work!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:37 pmDrill Away!
Oh jeebos your using gail norton for info…Fold up your reich winged tent and go home, troll…Blessings to every one else.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:37 pmThe GOP in Alaksa is corrupt. I wouldn’t believe a word of what those stats suggest. You believe liars, I don’t.
This is the only planet we have, or will ever have. Don’t believe folks who have financial interests in the oil exploration and extraction business.
You are being played for a sucker.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:38 pmFrom this seriousWildlife research study:
The crucial consideration for the future of the Central Arctic herd and other arctic caribou herds is whether changes in distribution associated with surface development, by depressing reproduction or survival, will either retard an increase in herd size or accelerate a decrease.
Our data, in fact, indicate that productivity can and will decline if the cumulative loss of preferred habitat, when superimposed on natural forces, is sufficient to compromise nutrition.
Go ahead and read it. It’s got numbers and charts and all kinds of scientific stuff.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:40 pmI don’t know what’s scarier, someone quoting Gale Norton (who left her position as Sec. Interior for Shell Oil)as proof of the viability and environmental friendliness of the Alaskan Pipeline,
or,
that Glenn Beck has a spot on CNN….
July 24th, 2008 at 7:42 pmJim Wilke Says:Look at me, look at me get my Mcain points. I gonna love that beer wrapper. Gonna put it up on my mantel… Doh, never mind, Trailer no got fireplace.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:44 pmThe Central Alaskan caribou herd has grown steadily over the last 30 years and so have other herds - while oil has been flowing through the Pipeline.
The population of Bejing has grown steadily over the last 30 years - while air quality has been decreasing dramatically… therefore can we conclude that poor air quality is good for people?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:44 pmJim- I think you should speak to some wildlife biologists who aren’t in the employ of oil companies before you assert that pipelines have led directly to herd growth… embrace the need to think!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:48 pmIncreased numbers is not an indicator of increased health… in fact, many speculate that herd numbers increase when in danger to ensure that even if a large percentage die off, there are still enough surviving to continue the species.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:49 pmhttp://www.pwsrcac.org/about/history.html
July 24th, 2008 at 7:50 pmYO JIM,
July 24th, 2008 at 7:51 pmANWR is to the EAST of the Pipeline. Your articles mention only herds NOT in ANWR but to the West Moron.
As usual
Flag the troll. He’s leaving spam shit everywhere.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:53 pmHay! jw, troll…You last all credability with the dutch shell oil whore who helped implement arial shooting of all the wolve’s along with the wretchd old senator…Tried and suceeded to turn our park’s into leased land to oil companies and selling for commercial us along with this crap your posting here..You have taken up enough band width and my time, back under the bridge….
July 24th, 2008 at 7:55 pmOur bad. We’ll try to work your way, but it may be tough, as unfortunately, we’re prisoners of the reality-based universe…
July 24th, 2008 at 7:56 pmHere’s another culture that thought they could have no appreciable impact on their ecosystem… things turned out poorly for them.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:57 pmJim Wilke - Sigh. We lived in Kaktovik, the Inupiat village that is in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, off and on in the 70’s and 80’s. We knew then that this was a fight that would have to be fought over and over and over. So it is.
The caribou herd that calves on the Arctic Coastal Plain of ANWR is the Porcupine Caribou herd. Citing statistics of other herds is irrelevant. Villagers in Canada and south of the Brooks Range are dependent on this herd, which summers north (and calves there) and then migrates through Canada and back into Alaska for winter.
The villagers who live in Kaktovik, while they might eat some caribou, are more dependent on whale, char, seal, and walrus. Therefore, if they have to give up the land in order to get health care, they are more inclined to do so, but don’t you dare do offshore drilling to scare away the maritime life. So you are getting agreement from the wrong people.
The scenic value of the Arctic plain? From a one day fly over? We could condemn much of the country on scenic value, though having walked and slept on much of ANWR for weeks at a time, I can guarantee the beauty and value to bird and wildlife. It is a great nesting and breeding ground.
There is much leased land that oil companies aren’t drilling. They want ANWR because they don’t like to be told no. When the pipeline first went in, it was only for American oil. Later, they negotiated selling the oil to Japan, Korea, and China.
IF there is oil, the best speculation is a six month supply. We can conserve our way to that much oil much quicker than we can drill and transport it.
Don’t pose as an expert or quote people who have done a flyover. There are people reading this who have lived there and find the repetition of the propaganda silly.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:03 pmbelac Says:
Well, if Gale Norton has endorsed this plan- then that’s different! I mean you can hardly find a more objective observer than GALE NORTON can you? Sure, she’s no scientist but she is a libertarian lawyer who knows about how she feels about how science should work!
Drill Away!
That mangy b!tch is from my state and is now the highest paid oil company lobbyist on K Street:
She would sell her mother for a 5 dollar bill and a Coach Handbag.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:13 pmJim Wilke Says:
http://www.dakotavoice.com/ 2008/ 07/ anwr-picture-is-worth-thousand-words.html
Absolutely! Check this out.
An entirely empty planet! Let’s invade!
I know that an aerial photograph of a section of Arctic plain is all the proof I need that the place is frickin’ empty.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:19 pmAre you really this stupid?
The “six month supply” refers to the amount needed to meet this nation’s oil consumption for six months.
It doesn’t refer to a well going dry after six months.
Sheesh.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:19 pmWant to see a real wasteland?
July 24th, 2008 at 8:20 pmIt’s the space beween boner’s and becks ears.
Question: Isn’t serial posting a lack of internet ethics?
tony andlido
Former president George H. W. Bush said in 1991, in reference to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, “The caribou love it. They rub against it and they have babies.”
And from the worst father on Earth. He and Babs (the worst mother in America and the George Washington look alike) spawned the worst American family in history!!!
George, Jeb, Neil, all useless, unAmerican enemies of the state!!!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:32 pmNotice Beck didn’t ask the people of Valdez about the issue.
Jim Wilke, the issue as in the fouling of their environment and harm to woldlife from a massive spill.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:49 pmGo ahead and grant the oil companies a lease, then see if they invest a penny in it. Whether they get the lease now, or in 10 years, it won’t put a drop of ANWR oil on the market any sooner.
Meanwhile, the “impossible” has happened! Global demand for oil has gone down for two consecutive months. Please explain why we need increased production if demand is steady or shrinking?
Get OFF YOUR BUTT AMERICA! The rest of the world isn’t waiting for us!
Exploiting the new paradigm in energy is our best hope to revive science, technology, and industry in this country. The best alternatives to burning hydrocarbons could make the oil industry look like a Monopoly game between six-year olds. Especially the greenest ones like solar/wind/water.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:52 pmAn active alcoholic in Boner and a dry drunk in Beck, both acting out on television.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:59 pmSo Jimmy, may I call you Little Jimmy?
July 24th, 2008 at 9:01 pmThanks.
Care to show us some stats on the Native Caribou herd of ANWR region?
Extra points for using reputable sources.
Thanks again.
Ask the folks in Valdez all you want. The spill happened 40 miles away and oil, like water, flows downstream.
Yes, Valdez is famous for their EXXON DAZE! Festival where they celebrate the many contributions of the oil spill… Fisherman no longer have to spend long days and nights at sea hauling nets- they’re ‘retired’
July 24th, 2008 at 9:06 pmand now that there are no more noisy seabirds and ‘wildlife’ cluttering up the place they can enjoy their retirement in style… as soon as Exxon coughs up the reduced judgment minus fees and whatnot.
Both herds had phenominal growth up to 1990 and since then are on the decline and are currently BARELY above the numbers 30 years ago. 1979 = 110K, 2008= 115K. 1990 = 178K
July 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pmSo, tell me again how GOOD Oil drilling in the region is doing for the wildlife?
Little Jimmy.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:27 pmAlmost forgot. +1 Extra credit point for the reputable source.
but sadly -10 for not fully comprehending the stats.
Sorry Troll
Clever people are driving less. Some are driving cars with better mileage. (My ‘86 Mazda gets over 30 mpg in the city.) And the market for gas stingy cars will explode.
Now, a clever energy plan (using some arbitrary numbers which would be negotiable) would mandate that every new passenger vehicle sold in this country exceed 50 mpg in the city by 2012. These cars would easily achieve this by being optimized for speeds under 45mph and simply using smaller engines in lighter cars.
Then, without needing additional roads, we reduce in city speeds to 45 for solo drivers and designate the “fast lanes” for multiple passengers and commercial vehicles. Slowing down the cars and speeding up buses would be a huge help.
After say, 10 years?, Anyone who wants to burn gas in a “guzzler” which gets less than 25mpg would pay a $10.00 a gallon “guzzler tax”. Another idea which gets little attention is for companies to utilize subsidized fleets of vehicles to get employees to and from work.
And that’s not even scratching the surface of the creative ideas. Just a few minutes of thought and it doesn’t even include alternative fuels.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:47 pmGuess what, Boner. We couldn’t care less about you.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:57 pmBoehner says the wildlife refuge is desserted. Then the wildlife (which are supposedly not there per the first statement) would love drilling.
In the last few days, Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has offered to kill endangered animals and give the meat to refugees in Africa.
Is it a mere coincidence that repubs seem to have this low environmental awareness ?
More as curiosity - I wonder if Boehner knows that “desert” is different than “dessert” and that geographic deserts have a rich diversity of life.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:12 pmDoes anybody ACTUALLY watchthat show??
July 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pmThe only wastelands Beck and Bonehead know about are the ones that exist where their brains should be.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:42 pmNelle - It was Kaktovik in 1978, when I arrived. What did you know it as? Kaktovik is on Barter Island as is one of the DEW line sites. Maybe we could have still been in Alaska, but my husband received several death threats because of his environmental work. We had a young child. The threats were credible and damage was done to his plane. We chose to leave.
I witnessed so many arguments about “I’ve been in Alaska for 20 years” “Well, I’ve been in Alaska for 25 years” sort of infantile exchange. Some born in Alaska have never been much out of Anchorage, but strut around as experts about parts of the state they’ve never been in. I have no idea if you are in that category or not.
Here’s what my experience told me. I was with researchers, hikers, hunters, and villagers who were all over the area. The area has wildlife in abundance, the permafrost is fragile and vulnerable to damage, and I found its beauty instructive and worth far more to the earth as a continued and pristine ecosystem, than as a place to be drilled and damaged for short-term gain. Eventually, we have to find a different way of living on this earth. Why damage an intact ecosystem in order to just put that off a little longer?
July 24th, 2008 at 10:44 pmSo JIm, I never caught your response to the whole “six months supply” thing.
Did you really think that “six months’ supply” meant that the oil field would go dry in six months?
Thanks.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pmThe audacity of nits-Jim Wilke’s projection
“When you have an enormous oil spill in a semicontained environment like that, the oil just sloshes around and contaminates everything it touches,”
“The primary goal of the restoration plan was to make sure that all the resources were restored to the condition they were in before the spill,” Phillips said. “The problem was that we had no baseline data. We didn’t know how many whales, sea otters, or ducks should be in the sound.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/ 2004/ 03/ 0318_040318_exxonvaldez.html
July 24th, 2008 at 11:18 pmMore on the Valdez oil spill from National Geographic:
Among the animal species that have not recovered are common loons, harbor seals, harlequin ducks, and Pacific herring.
Sea otters, which eat clams buried underground, are particularly affected by the subsurface oil. The clams may be clean, but sea otters may get oil on their fur, which requires energy to cope with.
“It’s like getting the flu three times a year instead of once,” Rice said. “It makes you sicker and less capable of feeding. Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight every day. If that’s lowered to 15 percent over, say, ten days, they will probably die.”
Sea otters have been found with increased levels of a substance contained in petroleum products known as cytochrome P450.
“Knowing what we have found out in the last three to four years about sea otters and harlequin ducks, we probably would have been out there cleaning those beaches earlier,” Rice said. “But we didn’t know that at the time. We assumed that by 1992, we wouldn’t see any more significant oil effects.”
July 24th, 2008 at 11:20 pmJim - I appreciate what you are saying about the poverty. The older guys in the village walked on bowed legs, bowed from rickets when they were young. People my age were forcibly removed and sent Outside to boarding schools.
In the late 70’s, we had no phone service (never did have running water when I was there), a little health clinic with an aide (but really, anything major had to fly to Barrow or, if we were lucky, there might be a tourist doctor passing through). The plane (and the mail) came once a week, if it wasn’t too foggy. It was remote and could be hard. I’m sure I had it easier, because I was married to one of the pilots (he never worked at the DEW line site).
I’m grateful that there is fire service, a safety officer, a decent health clinic, and above all, a local school. I acknowledge that these benefits came via the oil money. I also think that the brunt of the bad aspects of development hit the villages also. And I’m quite apprehensive about the implications of the increased costs of gas on the remote villages. Life is expensive and hard there. (And it is also rare and beautiful, as you probably know.)
Still, with all of that, I don’t think that the area of Arctic Wildlife Refuge holds significant promise to solve the nation’s energy addiction. It would merely rip up a precious, untouched area and delay the inevitable shortage by not much. The old thinking won’t work any longer. We can’t drill our way out of this.
Where are you located now?
July 24th, 2008 at 11:23 pmThis from the BBC:
It finds that significant amounts of crude oil remain trapped in sediment on the sea bed, where it is still poisoning creatures such as mussels and clams.
When larger animals eat these creatures, they are also damaged; the population of sea otters has recovered to only half of its pre-spill level, and several duck species are also significantly reduced.
Concentrations of toxic chemicals from the oil remain high enough to damage fish eggs.
The researchers conclude that assumptions about oil damage have to be challenged.
Damage to birds and fish persists over long periods, they say, and oil does not automatically dissipate in the sea over time.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:27 pmJim,
I know you don’t want to think of Alaska as some kind of exhibit….but I also don’t think it is the national piggy bank or get out of jail free card.
The whole issue of home and territorial feelings interests me. I’ve ended up with a rather nomadic life, so I’m always and never at home. In June, I find myself staring at the northwest sky, looking at the lingering glow of the sky and longing to be back in my 24 hour sunlit summer. I miss the phalarope spinning in the ponds, the snow geese and tundra swans, the swirl of the coat of the musk ox. And what can be as beautiful as the blue of the float ice on a July day at the beach? Or a polar bear in the midnight sun, nosing around the carcass of last autumn’s bowhead whale?
I miss it and I’m comforted to know it is there, whether I’m there or not.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:32 pmAs for oil flowing downhill, the spill happened in Prince William Sound, a body of water at sea level. But it did get to slosh around.
http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Image:Wpdms_shdrlfi020l_prince_william_sound.jpg
July 24th, 2008 at 11:34 pmfox is an intellectual wasteland
July 24th, 2008 at 11:46 pmMight Beck and Boehner speak on behalf of Lousiana wildlife?
http://www.nytimes.com/ 2008/ 07/ 25/ us/ 25spill.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
July 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pmPoor Jim, he really believes that the oil companies really have our best interests in mind unlike the majority of Americans who believe that drilling in ANWR will only serve to make the oil companies richer…
Hell propaganda was made for types like you…
July 25th, 2008 at 12:20 am87. sorry, I gave you far little credit…but there has to be another way than to give Big Oil just another opportunity to get rich…
July 25th, 2008 at 12:21 amBoehner could have at least stepped outside the plane…but the fog to me is symbolic of how the GOP likes to view the world through their fog of a worldview…
July 25th, 2008 at 12:40 amBut Jim, Alaska’s future can’t be as dependent on oil in the future as it has been in the past. Outsiders extract and profit and yes, it has improved things and there is no denying that. It just can’t go on and on, though.
I don’t have answers, but I just don’t believe that drilling in ANWR is going to make the difference, either for the nation as a whole, or as a solution to those living in remote Alaska.
So I’m sympathetic to the love of Alaska, appreciative of the improvement in lives, and convinced of the need to be more innovative and smarter (and more conservative)in our use and pursuit of energy.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:44 am.
Boehner could care less about wildlife…
.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:45 amJim, while I speak from knowledge of the Arctic, I don’t think that mere presence automatically makes one an authority, any more than I think that serving in the military makes one a more fit president than not serving. What does one do with what one has seen and with what one has experienced?
If anything, I’m disappointed in Obama being much more centrist than the sort of leader I would like, but then I know that I will never get the sort of leader I think would be ideal. But I read his writing and how he puts together some of his arguments and listen to his speeches and I have some hope that he will study the issue with intelligence. Flying over (and we saw fly overs by the House Merchant Marine Committee, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Senate Energy Committee - they got seriously inebriated up there)are no substitute for thoughtful consideration of the issue.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:50 amJim?
“Six months’ supply”?
Thanks.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:07 amJim Wilke:
July 25th, 2008 at 1:32 amYou have quuessed very poorly as I have seen countless phalarope. Although I have never seen the Wilson’s. species. Of course I know why they spin…
If these guys get their way they will destroy a National Treasure for BIG OIL and $$$$$$$$$$ and not to mention the lives of American and Iraqi civilians and soldiers.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:47 amBeg to differ… The contaminated brownfields covering much of Ohio are a real “wasteland.”
July 25th, 2008 at 9:42 amThese guys are really pathetic. Hopefully animal rights groups will nail them for their heartless attitude towards animals.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:41 amWhy can’t you understand what Boehner and Glenn Beck are saying is correct? I am a conservationist and teach minimal impact outdoor living and have been to Alaska. I know the difference between a pristine area with mountains, trees, wildflowers and wildlife, rather than an area that is barren for miles. There is no reason why drilling can’t be done there. The caribou and bears walk right by rigs and are not concerned or stressed. I walk the walk and talk the talk. The people who are trying to block this literally feel off the turnip truck. They are so far from reality that it boggles the mind. I do believe in protecting those areas, however, where the drilling is to occur is no where near pristine areas. See the following link.
http://www.americansforamericanenergy.org/ Portals/ AAE/ images/ ANWR_map_large.jpg
swimmergal
July 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pmHey “stateofthedivision” Yeah! Why don’t you come down to Louisiana and check out the wildlife for yourself. We have plenty and they are not being affected by drilling. You ought to see how many alligators we have in the bayous, eagles, owls, nutria, racoons, bobcats, deer, etc.. are all around. I know personally because I own 90 acres of the land and see them for myself. I travel up and down the bayou areas and take lots of pictures. I’ll send some to you if you would like. I have plenty pics of eagles, hawks, and owls too.
swimmergal
July 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pmThank oil companies that refuse to drill in their 68 million acres for $4.50 a gallon…
July 25th, 2008 at 5:34 pmJim at 114,
You are dumber than a bag of hammers, more active than a diarrhea attack and more useless to this nation than a used condom.
Go away before you hurt your brain here!
July 25th, 2008 at 7:27 pmJim,
Do you practice your stupidity or does it just come natural? You know, a God given touch?
July 25th, 2008 at 7:28 pmJim Wilke Says:
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Dixie, thanks for helping to raise the level of discourse here.
Just a guess but I’ll go out on a limb and say that you have been to Alaska as many times as Obama.
Y’all,
Observe the typical troll turd (above comment) that we see here so oftne…off topic, stupid to the core…it’s just a joy to see such a perfect specimen of troll droppings.
You are a completely perfect fascist troll! Keep up the good work!!
July 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pmMore moronic crap from the King!
It is about Alaska oil.
You are right just once in your pathetic life. But here’s your troll dropping off topic sh\t I compalined about and you are TTTOOOOOO STUUUUPID to UNDERSTAND!!!!
“Just a guess but I’ll go out on a limb and say that you have been to Alaska as many times as Obama.”
It is not about who’s been to Alaska MORON!!!! OT for sure a$$wipe!!
How many times have you even cared about Alaska????
Much less been there troll!!
Keep trying…you make it easy to recruit NOT RePugniScums!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:09 pmJim Wilke Says:
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I was born in Alaska. I’ve lived here all my life. I care about this state and it’s future very deeply.
So why is your state and it’s representitives so corrupt…
have you done nothing to help your own state fight off the corrupt RePugniScum government you should abhor??
Ted Stevens his son…don’t get me started moron!!!!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:29 pmJim,
Was your school on the Exxon Valdez? Or in an Igloo?
July 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pmAnd the RePugniScums still rule and ruin Alaska!!!!!
And what have you done? NOTHING!! The RePugniScums are your enemy not me!! But, you don’t get that!!
Keep it up moron…you just can’t handle the truth can you you!!!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:56 pmJim,
When you live in the dark most of the year…well….you know…
July 25th, 2008 at 8:59 pmThe acreage includes vast stretches of land that spread out over Nevada and reach north and east over the Rockies, thinning as they stretch toward Canada to disparate specs on the map.
Link
July 25th, 2008 at 11:40 pmyou liberals really have sold your souls to the environmentalists haven’t you? if you could look past the lies and money that environmentalists give you than maybe you would understand why we need to drill in anwr. first of all only 2000 acres of the 19 million will be drilled on. that is only .001% of the total wildlife refuge. if the oil drilling did effect them, than they could go to the other 99.999% of land that is left over. also, why would oil companies like BP, exxon mobile, and countless others sell the oil to other countries when it is connected to the u.s. via the pipeline? it is just stupid to do such a thing because it would be so inconvenient. Drilling in anwr would also create thousands of more jobs that are needed in the struggling economy.
July 26th, 2008 at 4:28 amyeah you conservatives have really sold your soul to Big Oil haven’t you? If you could look past the lies and money that Big Oil give you, then maybe you could understand that your 2000 acres is a deceptive figure…ANWR Drilling = 99 cent gallon gas? Is that what you believe? Big Oil wants you to believe that only a minute percentage of the whole refuge would be impacted…one tiny area…Not so…those 2000 acres would be spread out over the whole area. What is going to connect those 2000 acres? Pipelines like an intricate spider web…Where does it say that 2000 acres would be limited to one area? Do you really think that 2000 acres in one spot would be enough to develop ANWR fully? oF COURSE not, it would be spread out over several areas…
Are roads included in the acres limit? Don’t you need roads to connect those various drilling areas, some which won’t even be 50 acres?
July 26th, 2008 at 5:20 amLet’s say ANWR held 20 billion barrels of oil to be generous. Considering our annual consumption, that would last us 3-4 years…
July 26th, 2008 at 5:30 amI believe we also have an oil shale field somewhere that has 2-3 times the oil in Saudi Arabia…
July 26th, 2008 at 5:37 amOil spills onto ice, climate among Arctic risks
http://www.reuters.com/ article/ environmentNews/ idUSL57495620080725
July 26th, 2008 at 11:01 amokay ucsbclassics53 you have a point that the oil companies never said the 2000 acres would be in one area. however, even with roads connecting all of them the percentage would be nowhere near 1% of the total land in anwr. that would leave plenty of room for your precious caribou.
July 26th, 2008 at 8:22 pmThe point I want to make 136, is that it is misleading for sites like anwr.org to talk about the 2000 acres as minute and unnoticeable…
I will agree to disagree with you.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:56 pmBig oil companies are spending their big bucks to get big liars like Bush, and Boehner , and use big mouths like Becker to spin misinformation about oil and animals in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve backpacked there this year and last year and have seen tens of thousands of caribou trying to reach the coastal plain, and many more birds, whose lives depend on this 1.5 million acre corner of the Arctic refuge for their existence. Amazing how many Americans are willing to destroy their beaches and last remaining pristine wilderness areas just to save a few cents on a gallon of gas in 10 years. If this is the new American majority/morality–people unwilling to slow down, inflate tires, and walk more, which would save more oil than can be drilled from the entire North Slope–America is doomed.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pmDo people really think that after opening anwr and the ocs that oil companies will immediately jump in, build multiple oil rigs and flood the market with oil? If the current high prices are due to lack of supply and high demand, wouldn’t it be against the oil companies best interest to drill more, or at most, drill just enough? At the end of the day they are a publicly traded company that only cares about profit to earnings ratios.
As I see it, this is nothing more than a land grab. They want the power to control supply and demand and set market prices at a point that makes them the most money. They know once Bush is gone, so is anwr. I’m optimistic that big oil’s golden years are numbered…hopefully. :)
July 30th, 2008 at 4:41 pm