The Nation : Drilling Proposed in Arctic

The Interior Department recommends in a draft report to be released today that Congress open the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain of Alaska’s environmentally sensitive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas development. Conservationists oppose the move, saying oil industry work would destroy key Arctic fish, animal and bird habitats. After six years of study, the department says there is a 95% likelihood that the coastal plain contains more than 4.8 billion barrels of oil, with a 5% possibility of more than 29.4 billion barrels. The report says Congress should grant authority to draft regulations to protect animal life.