This country is being held hostage by a highly visiable and highly vocal minority. They have the Congress and the White House in their pockets. These environmental groups do not hesitate to sue to stop any development in this country. They seem to know which judge and how to see that they get that judge so they will get their way. When the White House could not get Global Warming legislation passed in congress they just unleashed the EPA, so the same thing could be done by regulation.
The EPA has been shutting down Texas Oil Refineries by refusing to renew their operating permits. They recently pulled the permit for a coal mine in WV. Shell oil had the drilling rig in place and was having supplies delivered to a drilling platform in the Beaufort sea off Alaska's northern coast. EPA pulled the permit, saying they needed to have another look at how some village over 250 miles away might be impacted by smoke from the rig. When was the last time you saw a new Iron Mine, new Copper Mine, new Gold Mine, new Coal Mine, or any other kind of resource development?
Here in Alaska we have the largest Copper prospect ever surveyed. Not only Copper, by Gold, and Molybdenium. The mining company doing the exploritory work has said they will be applying for permits later this year or early next year. Yet we in Alaska and other NW states have been enduring Anti-Pebble adds on the TV and radio for the last three years. The Antis (Envorinmental Groups) keep painting a dooms day scenerio for the entire watershed to Bristol Bay if the Pebble Mine is permitted to be developed. The driving force behind this is a multi millionaire from California who has a hunting and fishing lodge near the mine. Development will spoil his view.
We had the same thing predicted when Fort Knox Gold mine applied for permits. Fort Knox was approved and is currently in operation. One of the benifits from the mine was the clearity of the stream they got their water from to process their gold. The stream was full of naturally occuring pollutants. Arsonic being the major one. There was no Grayling in the stream due to the poor water quality. Since Ft Knox went into operation the water being returned to the stream is much higher quality and Grayling have moved upstream all the way to the outfall pond at the mine.
Same with the Alaska Oil Pipeline. That project was supposed to decimate the Northern Alaska Caribou Herd. Since the pipeline was put in place the herd has grown ten fold.
We have the resourses to be totally self sufficiant on oil and other minerals, all we have to do is educate the US populass and vote these environmental whackos out of office. Then hamstring the EPA and other government groups that block development. there is a differance in setting regulations to protect the environment and people, and making it impossiable to do any development. Currently the "impossiable" is being pushed.
