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Environmentalists File Record Number of Lawsuits 7/21/04 The prospect of oil and gas wells being drilled on public lands has sent environmentalists running to court in record numbers. Justice Department officials say a record number of lawsuits - about 7,100 - are being litigated by the Environment and Natural Resources Division. "The fact that the environmental groups have so successfully worked the litigation element into the regulatory process is proven today by the high oil and gas prices we're seeing both at the gas pump and in the natural gas sector," said Marl Sexton of Evergreen Resources. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski quoted Bill Clinton's Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit's 2001 statement: "If they'll turn around and look west [from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] they'll find they can drill undisturbed for 1,000 miles - all the way to Siberia." Mr. Babbitt has changed his tune now that the Bureau of Land Management is looking toward NPR - A (National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska.) Babbitt opines that drilling will disrupt wildlife, spoil untouched lands and ruin the biological heart of the western Arctic. In 1997, however, he said: "This is an unprecedented opportunity for cooperation that can bring long-term benefits for everyone…[U]sing high-quality, science, state-of-the-art technology and an open dialogue with the public." Gov, Murkowski says it's time to end obstructionist tactics. "Let's get on with the energy security of the United States and develop the petroleum reserve now." RELATED STORY: Environmentalists File Record Number of Lawsuits Wednesday, July 14, 2004 "The truth is the Bush administration is issuing oil and gas permits on our public lands at a record rate. Gas production in the Rockies has never been higher," said Suzanne Jones of the Wilderness Society (search). Officials at the Justice Department (search) say a record number of lawsuits — about 7,100 currently — are being litigated by the Environment and Natural Resources Division. Energy producers argue that any litigation delay, even by one year, has a profound effect on production. "The fact that the environmental groups have so successfully worked the litigation element into the regulatory process is proven today by the high oil and gas prices we're seeing both at the gas pump and in the natural gas sector," said Mark Sexton of Evergreen Resources. But environmentalists say they won't stop until they get what they're pushing for.
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