Bush is forcing action on WSA's


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http://news.iwon.com/home/news/news_article/0,11746,94346|top|04-05-2001::03
:35|reuters,00.html

Report: Draft Recommends U.S. Open Land to Drilling
April 5, 2001 3:28 am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Draft recommendations by the U.S. Department of
Interior for boosting energy production include releasing millions of acres
of federal wilderness land for development, USA Today reported on Thursday.
The draft proposals, obtained by USA Today, are part of a report being
prepared for a Bush administration task force working on developing a
national energy policy, the newspaper said.
The preliminary proposals recommend that the administration push Congress
to
decide how much of the 17 million acres of federal "wilderness study areas"
would remain protected and how much would be opened for oil and gas
drilling, USA Today said.
Under the draft recommendations, the administration would speed up
applications for construction of a natural gas pipeline to deliver gas from
Alaska's North Slope, according to the report.
The draft recommendations also urge modification of Forest Service land-use
plans that restrict energy development, the newspaper said.
Some Interior officials also have proposed consolidating power over energy
exploration decision on federal land within Morton's office and the Bureau
of Land Management.
USA Today said Interior Secretary Gale Norton declined to comment on the
recommendations before the administration finalizes its energy plans.
"It would be premature for me to talk about any specific proposals," she
told the newspaper.
Echoing the energy policy goals of President Bush Norton said in a speech
on
Wednesday that the U.S. must take a hard look at drilling for oil and gas
inside Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR), which has been
vehemently opposed by environmentalists.
"To avoid unduly betting America's future on Middle East politics, we need
to keep finding and opening up new sources of oil and gas," she told an
audience of oil and gas executives at the Mineral Management Service's
annual awards luncheon in Houston.
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WELNDMN!WELNDMN!WELNDMNWELNDMN!
ahh screw it call me Mark :D
No matter what you do or say someone will take it too seriously