Arctic Refuge drilling: Why bother with legislation?

Logically, Bush could just decree it. 1

Consider:

  • President Bush argues that we are at war (against "terror"), that the war will go in indefinitely, and that he alone decides what constitutes a cessation of conflict.
  • President Bush argues that the executive branch has what amounts to absolute power on matters of national security during wartime, irrespective of statute and without Congressional oversight.
  • President Bush argues that making the U.S. independent of "foreign oil" is an issue of national security.
  • President Bush argues that drilling in the Arctic Refuge could help make the U.S. independent of foreign oil.

Given the above, why can't Bush just decree that the Arctic Refuge will be opened to drilling?

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. Roland Posted 7:44 am
    03 Jan 2006

    Arctic National Wildlife RefugeI wanted to respond to some comments posted as "Typical Alaskans" back in Dec.  Sorry I've been off line for a while.  Anyway, I'd like to let folks know that I don't think there are any typical Alaskans at least not like reported in that comment.  In fact we have a very healthy environmental movement in the state.  We support a conservation foundation to raise and support that movement.  We are no more in control of what our state officals say and do, than we in are control of what Bush and the other scrubs are up to.  I move here 30 years ago for the sole purpose of protecting Alaska and helped to draft and pass the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, where we set up this horrible battle.  We do receive a permanent fund dividend (PFD), not from the oil companies, but from the state.  It is funded from oil revenues, but that is money that doesn't go into building roads, subsidizing mines or other bad things.  We set the fund up by constitutional amendment.  Think about the state you live in, what if they had set up a fund like that using funds that come to the state from the sale of public resources.  I suspect that we would have lower level of poverty in the country.  I understand that the PFD is misunderstood, but that is not what is fueling this fight.  It is the greed of the oil companies that own our government and the national government.  They are the ones who made more in profits in one quarter than the Alaska State Annual Budget.  Now if you want to get woundup about something.  Think about a state with $28 Billion in the bank, refusing to fund the needs of small rural villages and forcing one third of its cities into bankrupcy.  



    roland from Alaska

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