“Thanks to the federal government's generous 1959 grant of statehood, Alaska has received a fortune in royalties from oil drilled on its North Slope. Since the late 1970s this money has accumulated in an account called the Permanent Fund. It has accumulated so much, in fact, that Alaska not only has no need for income or sales tax, but the state actually pays residents an annual stipend--last year $1,850.28 a head--just for living there. So with every drop of oil pumped, wealth is transferred from Americans generally--the oil is all coming out of federally owned land--to Alaskans almost exclusively. And the more oil is pumped, the larger that transfer. No wonder the state spent $7 million lobbying for ANWR--it's a fraction of what it would get if the legislation went through.”
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?i…
Do Alaskans support drilling ANWR in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, or some other reason?
What many Americans absolutely fail to understand, is that any increase in production of discovered oil will wind up on the GLOBAL market; not the US market, so it will have next to 0 influence on price at the pump even after a 5 - 10 year span. Sorry, just the econ reality of it. Add to this our massive debt to China, and the US may not even realize a drop of it. So decreasing our dependency on foreign oil? It won't make a dent. So what is the motivation? Alaska only.
Palin has had a history of close ties w/ the Alaska Independence (successionist) party and the Kingdom Now theology movement deemed heretical by the very conservative/fundamentalist AoG which seeks the establishment of a theocracy (see: Joel's Army). That plus her pastor Ed Kahlnin's vision of Alaska as the blessed refuge state for the entire USA lends theological legitimacy to Alaska first (Alaska ONLY) as the holy state of refuge for all God's people in the US. Now think of that as a motive, and the incentive for drilling in Alaska comes into better focus. Now the next question is if you will sleep OK knowing the high degree of probability that Palin will have her finger on the nuke trigger with ideas that Alaska is the only state that matters. Now THAT'S a terrorist scenario that makes Al Qaeda look like cub scouts.
Do Alaskans support drilling ANWR in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, or some other reason?
Both. They would much rather have the jobs, economy, and the stipend that comes with drilling in ANWAR. They get that stipend for being a citizen of Alaska, it was to entice people to move to Alaska and increase it's population and provide skilled workers to their economy. It's a harsh environment in Alaska, so to get people to come there and work you need to have very good salaries, and incentives. I don't want the money that bad, so I will stay in the lower 48 where we have 4 seasons.
To answer your question, I'm am not an Alaskan so I can't speak for why they may or may not support drilling in ANWR. If youre so concerned that you're not getting your fair share of whatever oil incentives they might be getting, maybe you should move there too.
Each citizens gets cash, so they are in it for the money. Now, if the proceeds of drilling were to be deposited in the US Treasury (as it should), then a differing opinion would be realized.
They support it because they want your money like Saudis. Oil industry must be nationalized so that individual interest could not destroy our country.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/i…
Something like 70% of the country supports drilling, including in Alaska.
It's not just Alaska that wants it.
Alaska is God's country. God told me to tell all his devout followers to come and live there and establish his kingdom.
I support it so that we it's a resounding failure cons will have to explain why.
Their oil was a part of us granting them statehood to begin with.
they said shoooooo meeeeeee theeeeeeee $$$$$$$$$$$$$. then they went and killed wolfs out of a chopper.. HEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAA. yeah thats what i want running the country
they want their kick backs raised by the oil companies, 1000 dollars isn't enough
Good for them. Every governor should try to help the people of the state
Of course Alaska want's money for drilling!
Why not?
both and good for them. should the states that produce food be punished for helping America AND THE WORLD?
drill or keep sending your money to the mideast
Many Republicans would say that Alaskans are reaping the benefits of socialism.
'Over the opposition of oil companies, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska's Legislature last year approved a major increase in taxes on the oil industry — a step that has generated stunning new wealth for the state as oil prices soared.
At a time when Americans are feeling the pinch at the gasoline pump and oil companies are racking up record profits, Alaska's choice foreshadows one of the sharpest debates in the upcoming presidential election.
Democrat Barack Obama supports a national windfall-profits tax, while Republican John McCain opposes it.
Alaska collected an estimated $6 billion from the new tax during the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. That helped push the state's total oil revenue — from new and existing taxes, as well as royalties — to more than $10 billion, double the amount received last year.
While many other states are confronting big budget deficits because of the troubled economy, Alaska officials are in the enviable position of exploring new ways to spend the state's multibillion-dollar budget surplus.
Some of that new cash will end up in the wallets of Alaska's residents.
Palin's administration last week gained legislative approval for a special $1,200 payment to every Alaskan to help cope with gas prices, which are among the highest in the country.'
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
Let me preface this by saying I'm a lifelong Alaskan.
Alaskans do not support drilling ANWR because of dividend money. I've never heard this locally. Alaskans support drilling ANWR for only two reasons:
A. It will create jobs.
B. Alaskans are more aware of what ANWR actually is. For example, I spent 6 weeks living in a tent camp in the tundra of the north slope, surveying a region the size of Connecticut out of a helicopter. I'm aware of what the land actually is. I'm vastly more aware of Alaska's geography than anyone from Washington. Therefore I, like many other Alaskans, have less of a problem with drilling ANWR because we realize that the land is basically thousands of sq. miles of rolling tundra with no trees and far less wildlife than portrayed. It is not the beautiful Alaska you are used to seeing. That is in other parts of the state. ANWR is akin to a piece of desert in the middle of Nevada.
The reality is that sooner or later it will be drilled, it is just a matter of when.
Actually, if you want to be technical, Alaska is required by law to supply the US with oil. This was part of their agreement for being allowed into the union.
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