Republicans have long eyed the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ANWR and Outer Continental Shelf OCS as a potential energy jackpot. As the GOP sees it, the aggressive protection of ANWR’s fragile ecosystem prevents it from becoming a fully participating resource in the country’s energy security. In 2008, the issue divided the party when then-presidential candidate Sen. John McCain opposed opening up ANWR, saying it would be like drilling in the Everglades or Grand Canyon.Under President Barack Obama, the federal government has reduced the amount of drilling on federal land and slashed by more than half the amount of new permits it grants for offshore oil and gas drilling. Obama has come out strongly against drilling in ANWR, saying it would “irreversibly damage a protected national wildlife refuge without creating sufficient oil supplies to meaningfully affect the global market price or have a discernible impact on U.S. energy security.”
via Drilling In ANWR Likely To Resurface If GOP Wins Congress.
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