American Petroleum Institute expresses support for legislation to expand access to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The American Petroleum Institute (API) issued a press release Thursday welcoming legislation that would allow natural gas and oil development in a non-wilderness portion of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee introduced the legislation as part of the budget reconciliation bill.
“Safe and environmentally responsible energy development in the ANWR coastal plain holds great promise for our nation’s energy security and competitiveness throughout the world,” API Upstream Director Erik Milito said. “We commend Charmain Murkowski for her leadership on this important issue and look forward to working with Congress and the administration to continue harnessing our nation’s energy potential to benefit American consumers.
In the press release, API cited studies it said show that the ANWR coastal plain has the largest undeveloped conventional oil resources in the United States and that 80 percent of voters in the United States support increasing domestic oil and natural gas production. Developing the region is critical to U.S. energy security, API said.
“Developing our resources in ANWR is supported by strong majorities of Alaskans, and would generate jobs, government revenue, and spur economic growth,” Milito said. “The natural gas and oil industry has the technology and expertise, along with decades of experience, to safely develop our energy resources in the Arctic while protecting the surrounding environment. Responsible access to ANWR is also in our national security interest, with other nations like Russia, Canada, and Norway already actively exploring the Arctic region.”
