03/21/2011 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

4:04:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
                 HJR  9-ENDORSING ANWR LEASING                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WAGONER announced HJR 9 to be up for consideration.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  PASKVAN  moved  to  bring  CSHJR  9(RES),  labeled  27-                                                               
LS0379\I, before the committee. There were no objections.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:05:26 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE LANCE PRUITT, sponsor of  HJR 9, said this measure                                                               
urges Congress to  pass legislation to open the  coastal Plain of                                                               
the  Arctic  National  Wildlife  Refuge (ANWR)  to  oil  and  gas                                                               
exploration and  development. The Alaska National  Interest Lands                                                               
Conservation  Act (ANILCA)  of 1998  prohibited leasing  or other                                                               
development  leading to  production of  oil and  gas in  ANWR. To                                                               
date,  the  domestic  demand  for oil  continues  to  rise  while                                                               
domestic crude production continues to  fall with the result that                                                               
the United  States imports additional  oil from  foreign sources.                                                               
New technology  has greatly reduced the  environmental impacts of                                                               
development on the  North Slope and if Prudhoe  were built today,                                                               
the footprint would be as small as 1526 acres.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
He said  that oil  and gas  development has  also proven  to have                                                               
successfully co-existed  in Alaska's  Arctic. The  Central Arctic                                                               
Caribou Herd  at Prudhoe Bay has  grown from 3,000 to  as high as                                                               
23,400  in  the last  22  years  alone.  HJR 9  mirrors  previous                                                               
legislative  resolutions and  includes  provisions for  renewable                                                               
and alternative  energy sources,  protection of wildlife  and the                                                               
use of directional drilling.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:06:55 PM                                                                                                                    
BERT KRAFT,  staff to Representative  Pruitt, said  the following                                                               
language was  added to  this resolution  since it  was introduced                                                               
related to oil and gas  exploration and development. In version I                                                               
the following language  was added to the title  paragraph on page                                                               
1, line  1: "relating  to oil  and gas  exploration, development,                                                               
production   and  royalties   and  relating   to  renewable   and                                                               
alternative energy technologies." This  change was made to better                                                               
reflect all language included in the entire resolution.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
"Any"  was removed  from  page  3, line  22,  because it  sounded                                                               
redundant and "an  alternative" was added on page  3, lines 23-24                                                               
and  page 4,  lines 5-6  because  it includes  sources of  energy                                                               
generation that "renewable" alone does not.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The language,  "The Alaska State  Legislature urges that  oil and                                                               
gas  exploration and  development  and production"  was added  to                                                               
page 3,  line 28, for  clarification. "The nations" was  added to                                                               
page 2, line 6, to emphasize national security.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:08:17 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  FRENCH asked  if  the Senate  hadn't  recently passed  a                                                               
resolution urging Congress to open ANWR.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. KRAFT  answered that resolution  specifically dealt  with the                                                               
wilderness designation in the 1002 area.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FRENCH asked  on  page  2, line  18,  if  they are  only                                                               
concerned  about   Prudhoe  and   moved  a   friendly  conceptual                                                               
amendment [Amendment 1]  to change it the North  Slope to capture                                                               
more of the idea that they are aiming to communicate.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT said  he would accept that  as an amendment                                                               
because  they are  trying to  express  the decline  on the  North                                                               
Slope.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FRENCH said  he thought  substituting "North  Slope" for                                                               
"Prudhoe  Bay"  would  get  the   point  across.  There  were  no                                                               
objections and the amendment was adopted.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN  moved to  report CSHJR  9(RES) as  amended from                                                               
committee. There  were no objections  and therefore, SCS  CSHJR 9                                                               
(RES) moved from committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:10:38 PM                                                                                                                    
Finding  no  further  business, Co-Chair  Wagoner  adjourned  the                                                               
meeting at 4:10 PM.