Post by ferryfast admin on Feb 19, 2006 0:40:59 GMT -5
Alaska threatens ferry service
By Peter Jensen
The Alaskan Front
Western Washington University
February 17, 2006
Stretching across the northeastern corner of Alaska is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 19.2 million acres of land untouched by human hand and habitation.
Political disputes over the refuge, however, could make it more difficult for Bellingham residents and travelers to get to Alaska at all.
The Alaska House of Representatives introduced a resolution Jan. 25 that could remove Washington state, and specifically Bellingham’s Alaska ferry station, from the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Alaska’s Department of Transportation runs the marine highway system, which transports passengers between cities in Alaska, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham.
Bellingham’s ferry station is located at the end of Harris Avenue in the Fairhaven district.
The resolution is a political response to the efforts of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to prevent Republicans in Congress from opening the refuge to oil drilling, said the bill’s co-sponsor Republican Rep. Mark Neuman of Wasilla, Alaska.
Alaska would benefit economically from the drilling, just as Washington benefits economically from the marine highway system, Mark Neuman said. Tourists come to Bellingham to use the ferry, which costs less than an airplane ticket, to travel to Alaska, he said. The ferry’s normal fare for an adult from Bellingham to Juneau, Alaska is approximately $300.
“The original intent of this resolution is to send a message to the state of Washington,” Mark Neuman said. “If you don’t support us in what we have going, we have to look at how we are supporting you.”
The resolution is in the House’s transportation committee. If it comes to a vote and passes, it would become a recommendation to Alaska’s Gov. Frank Murkowski, he said. Murkowski could then decide to remove Washington from the marine highway system.
The refuge was a focus of Republicans in Congress and the White House last year because they see drilling there as a means of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, said Wayne Stevens, vice-chair of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce.
Republicans advocate drilling on 2,000 acres in the refuge’s coastal plains region, Stevens said. Drilling there would create jobs for Alaska and Washington residents, he said. Washington has many oil refineries and is a principal partner in oil shipping to the United States, Stevens said.
Oil drilling and production accounts for 82 percent of Alaska’s revenue, Stevens said. The state relies on the money it brings in to improve its infrastructure, he said.
“Alaska could spend money on sewer, roads and other infrastructure that other states take for granted,” Stevens said. “It befuddles people that the state of Washington would try to shut Alaska’s economy down, which is how it’s seen up here.”
In December, Cantwell led a fight against the drilling along with fellow Democrats in Congress. Cantwell and some Senate Democrats were victorious when they convinced the Senate to vote down a defense-spending bill that had drilling in the refuge attached to it, Cantwell’s press officer Charla Neuman said.
Cantwell opposes the drilling because the refuge is the habitat for native species of wildlife, Charla Neuman said. Cantwell, as a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, does not believe drilling in the refuge will reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, she said.
“This is about more than just protecting one of America’s last pristine natural treasures,” Cantwell said in a November 2005 press release. “According to the Energy Department’s last analysis, even if oil companies drill in the wildlife refuge and hit peak production, it will only lower gas prices by a penny per gallon.”
Officials from the Port of Bellingham will travel to Alaska in March to lobby against the removal of the ferry stop, corporate communications director Carolyn Casey said. Officials from the port appear before the Alaskan Legislature every year to discuss issues regarding the port’s involvement in the marine highway system, Casey said.
By Peter Jensen
The Alaskan Front
Western Washington University
February 17, 2006
Stretching across the northeastern corner of Alaska is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 19.2 million acres of land untouched by human hand and habitation.
Political disputes over the refuge, however, could make it more difficult for Bellingham residents and travelers to get to Alaska at all.
The Alaska House of Representatives introduced a resolution Jan. 25 that could remove Washington state, and specifically Bellingham’s Alaska ferry station, from the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Alaska’s Department of Transportation runs the marine highway system, which transports passengers between cities in Alaska, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham.
Bellingham’s ferry station is located at the end of Harris Avenue in the Fairhaven district.
The resolution is a political response to the efforts of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to prevent Republicans in Congress from opening the refuge to oil drilling, said the bill’s co-sponsor Republican Rep. Mark Neuman of Wasilla, Alaska.
Alaska would benefit economically from the drilling, just as Washington benefits economically from the marine highway system, Mark Neuman said. Tourists come to Bellingham to use the ferry, which costs less than an airplane ticket, to travel to Alaska, he said. The ferry’s normal fare for an adult from Bellingham to Juneau, Alaska is approximately $300.
“The original intent of this resolution is to send a message to the state of Washington,” Mark Neuman said. “If you don’t support us in what we have going, we have to look at how we are supporting you.”
The resolution is in the House’s transportation committee. If it comes to a vote and passes, it would become a recommendation to Alaska’s Gov. Frank Murkowski, he said. Murkowski could then decide to remove Washington from the marine highway system.
The refuge was a focus of Republicans in Congress and the White House last year because they see drilling there as a means of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, said Wayne Stevens, vice-chair of the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce.
Republicans advocate drilling on 2,000 acres in the refuge’s coastal plains region, Stevens said. Drilling there would create jobs for Alaska and Washington residents, he said. Washington has many oil refineries and is a principal partner in oil shipping to the United States, Stevens said.
Oil drilling and production accounts for 82 percent of Alaska’s revenue, Stevens said. The state relies on the money it brings in to improve its infrastructure, he said.
“Alaska could spend money on sewer, roads and other infrastructure that other states take for granted,” Stevens said. “It befuddles people that the state of Washington would try to shut Alaska’s economy down, which is how it’s seen up here.”
In December, Cantwell led a fight against the drilling along with fellow Democrats in Congress. Cantwell and some Senate Democrats were victorious when they convinced the Senate to vote down a defense-spending bill that had drilling in the refuge attached to it, Cantwell’s press officer Charla Neuman said.
Cantwell opposes the drilling because the refuge is the habitat for native species of wildlife, Charla Neuman said. Cantwell, as a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, does not believe drilling in the refuge will reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, she said.
“This is about more than just protecting one of America’s last pristine natural treasures,” Cantwell said in a November 2005 press release. “According to the Energy Department’s last analysis, even if oil companies drill in the wildlife refuge and hit peak production, it will only lower gas prices by a penny per gallon.”
Officials from the Port of Bellingham will travel to Alaska in March to lobby against the removal of the ferry stop, corporate communications director Carolyn Casey said. Officials from the port appear before the Alaskan Legislature every year to discuss issues regarding the port’s involvement in the marine highway system, Casey said.