00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 6                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress to defeat House Resolution 39, titled "To preserve                                    
02 the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in                               
03 recognition of its extraordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of                                       
04 present and future generations of Americans."                                                                           
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
06       WHEREAS House Resolution 39, titled "To preserve the Arctic coastal plain of the                                
07 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary                              
08 natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future generations of                                      
09 Americans," has been introduced in the United States House of Representatives; and                                      
10       WHEREAS the oil industry, the state, and the United States Department of the                                    
11 Interior consider the Arctic coastal plain to have the highest potential for discovery of very                          
12 large oil and gas accumulations on the continent of North America, estimated to be as much                              
13 as 10,000,000,000 barrels of recoverable oil; and                                                                       
14       WHEREAS oil and gas exploration and development of the Arctic coastal plain of the                              
15 refuge and adjacent land could result in major discoveries that would reduce our nation's                               

01 future need for imported oil, help balance the nation's trade deficit, and significantly increase                       
02 the nation's security; and                                                                                              
03       WHEREAS in 16 U.S.C. 3142 (sec. 1002 of the Alaska National Interest Lands                                      
04 Conservation Act (ANCILA)), the United States Congress reserved the right to permit further                             
05 oil and gas exploration, development, and production within the coastal plain; and                                      
06       WHEREAS enhancements in technology can be used in a manner that minimizes the                                   
07 area within the refuge that is used for exploration and development, while providing the                                
08 nation with a needed supply of oil and gas; and                                                                         
09       WHEREAS the oil industry is using innovative technology and environmental                                       
10 practices that are directly applicable to operating on the Arctic coastal plain and that enhance                        
11 environmental protection beyond traditionally high standards; and                                                       
12       WHEREAS the state will ensure the protection of the land, water, and wildlife                                   
13 resources during the exploration and development of the Arctic coastal plain; and                                       
14       WHEREAS 8,900,000 of the 19,000,000 acres of the refuge have already been set                                   
15 aside as wilderness;                                                                                                    
16       BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-Fifty Alaska State Legislature urges the United                                  
17 States Congress to defeat House Resolution 39.                                                                          
18       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable George W. Bush, President                              
19 of the United States; the Honorable Richard B. Cheney, Vice-President of the United States                              
20 and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, United States Secretary of                             
21 the Interior; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the                             
22 Honorable John Boehner, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the                                       
23 Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mitch McConnell,                                
24 Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Jeff Bingaman, Chair of the Energy and                                
25 Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Ted Stevens and the                                       
26 Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.                                              
27 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and all members of the 110th                              
28 United States Congress by electronic transmission.