Begich Slams Lieberman On ANWR

It's only January and already we have the first Democratic caucus blood feud.

Alaska Democratic freshman Mark Begich is slamming Joe Lieberman on the one issue that has made the renegade Connecticut Independent a darling of the left -- the environment.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[billsmile]

Alaska used to be able to make money off of folks taking cruises and seeing glaciers...the natural beauty (if preserved by lack of burning fossil fuels) will sustain Alaska forever.

[Just4theHalibut]

I've lived in Alaska for 30 years and never been able to afford to travel to ANWR. I am against drilling there but let's not pretend that the potential oil value can be made up by tourism. As for the current glacier attractions, they are melting back so fast many will be out of sight in my lifetime.
We are expecting tourism to decrease by at least 20% this year; don't see it rebounding for many years.

[jgsuperpants]

Alaskans only favor it for jobs and money. The fact is, there is no financial value in drilling ANWR.

Here's the fact:

If every single car in the United States got ONE MPG better than they do now (that's right, ONE - an Accord going from 31 to 32, or the Excursion going from 12 to 13 mpg), then we would save as much oil in ONE YEAR as the HIGHEST estimates say exists under ANWR.

This is oil we would not see for 8 to 10 years anyway, which is more than enough time to develop efficiencies to decrease our domestic oil consumption. Think about how much we would save if our cars were 5%, 10% or even 50% more efficient than they are now.

This is precisely what we should be focusing on. We already have the technology - new cleaner diesel engines already achieve 35-60% better efficiency than their gasoline counterparts. Combine that with plug-in hybrid technology, and cars can get greater than 100 mpg! This technology exists - today you can convert your Prius to be a plug-in and achieve up to 100 mpg.

If the US automakers had not spent so much time, money and energy fighting efficiency standards and actually developed the technology, oil exploration would not even be a discussion.

[Cybersquirt]

There's still the fact that it's a non-renewable resource but the "battle" would certainly not be raging so soon. We probably wouldn't have to loan so much money to the auto industry either.

[dandypuddin]

Flagged as favorite. Right on the money.

[theone718]

Joe Lieberman and "darling of the left" just don't go together.

[NCYvonne]

Every environmental group in the country opposes drilling in ANWR (Sierra, NRDC). Every environmentalist and almost every democrat in Congress opposes it. The only people who want to drill there are Republicans like Inhofe and Stevens and Alaskans who get a big check every year from the oil leases.

Yet, Carolab (a self-proclaimed progressive) says it's a good idea. Why? Because Coleman and Lieberman are also opposed to it. Guess what they have in common? Not drilling is a conspiracy by "those people" to keep us at war.

[brynnrose thorn]

I'm not buying into any conspiracy theory about this either, not that it couldn't be true, but it just doesn't seem plausible to me. However there is a big disconnect here.

Environmentalists don't want the oil drilling. Can natural gas be extracted harmlessly? I don't know enough about it to say. The fishing industry is in trouble as well. That leaves some seasonal tourism and government jobs.

If we agree that drilling has to be curtailed and overfishing is a big problem, what does that leave approximately 670,000 Alaskans? Begish would be committing political suicide if he didn't fight for drilling, etc., and I don't think we want him to do that.

There are some excellent minds here. What suggestions do you have for Alaskans so that they can make a living, conserve the environment and make everyone happy?

[Cybersquirt]

First: all the supposed oil residing in Alaska is not proven. There are estimates which suggest it will only last ONE year at our current rate of consumption - note the use of the word "current".

Second: Overfishing is a problem, do they just fish until there's nothing left and they're forced to evolve?

Shouldn't Alaskans be asking themselves what to do? If all Begich can do is sing the same old tune, he might as well hari-kari.

Lastly: arguments about many so-called facts abound. What gets one dubbed "conspiracy theory"?

[Just4theHalibut]

We don't "agree that overfishing is a big problem". Not in Alaskan waters. Where is your evidence that "the fishing industry" (of which there are actually dozens of components) is in trouble?

That said, there is natural annual variability in fish and shellfish stocks, as well as longer term fluctuations that are related to oceanographic conditions, and that are likely being exacerbated by global climate change. So most Alaskan fishermen can't rely on just one species, and need to find other support during "off" years, and outside of the short fishing seasons. I am sure we would all appreciate suggestions as to how to accomplish this, other than jobs in the oil industry, a la Todd Palin (and thousands of others like him).

Seriously.

[Cybersquirt]

Some of them just buy into the hype, that drilling here will mean less at the pump. That was McCain's whole thing. We weren't so worried about it until gas hit $4 and kept going. Even Obama started saying things like "limited off-shore drilling".

As an aside, I thought it was hilarious how he eventually whittled the 10 yr figure down to 2.

Funny how the right will turn every left/progressive argument on it's head.

[Carolab]

Read on about what I really believe, Yvonne and stop misrepresenting me.

[Cybersquirt]

I really wish democrats would return to their enviro-friendly roots. this is incredibly disheartening.

[ObjectiveRealist]

Alaskans don't count. They get so much petroleum bribery, even the Eskimos like oil mining. Not all Eskimos of course, but their most prominent (in the corporate media and the government) spokespersons.

[Cybersquirt]

I guess it's part of the Alaskan oath, hmm? :p

[southwindow]

they call themselves eskimos? I thought that term had fallen out of favor.

[Just4theHalibut]

I am reluctant to speak about native communities since I am not part of them, but my understanding is the "Eskimos" or Inuit tend to support oil industry, because basically they are already screwed by climate change. Their communities and lifestyles are tragically, literally melting and washing away. Oil presents at least some opportunity for jobs and income. On the other hand the Gwich'in or Caribou people who actually live in ANWR are adamantly opposed to drilling because of the possibility of environmental disaster (which is why I am also against it).

And excuse me, but Alaskans DO count.

[lynettema]

Are their any Alaskans that support environmental issues - saving the environment, I mean, not exploiting it?

[NCYvonne]

Not any in elected office.

[brynnrose thorn]

There's the dilemma, I don't know what else AK has besides fishing, oil and gas and some tourism. Perhaps science can come to the rescue for them. I don't know else will.

[Cybersquirt]

according to begich's brother, the only enviromentalists in alaska are fake.

Does that begin to answer your question? :/

[NCYvonne]

You've got progressive here who are buying that line of b/s, too. They say that the only people who oppose drilling are people with names like Lieberman and Coleman. People who want war in the ME .. .

[Carolab]

I didn't say he said the "only environmentalists" are fake. Just that there are some that are being used as a "front".

[lynettema]

“What this country needs is a comprehensive energy plan dealing with oil and gas development, as well as renewable energy resources, to ease our dependence on foreign oil.

6 months of oil deliverable in 5 years (or close to these figures) is no bargain for the country. Begich's supporters would get their handout, though. I like the suggestion that if the Alaskans didn't benefit directly from this drilling, they wouldn't support it any more than the lower 48.

[lovethesinner]

Smart guy. He has to take this stand on ANWR to get elected. And knowing it will never pass in a Democratic controlled congress, he ingratiates himself with Alaska Republicans who want to drill, and mitigates the damage that will do with Alaska Democrats by slamming Joe Lieberman.

Watch out, Sarah, it isn't just Russia you can see from your house.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/bob-poe-alaska-governor-p_n_156426.html

[AxelDC]

What feud? Lieberman isn't a Democrat.

[Carolab]

He is in the Democratic caucus.

[Cybersquirt]

..and he's proposing the legislation that Begich is opposed to.

[Carolab]

Lieberman is a s n a k e and not to be trusted. He wants to wage the never-ending war in the ME, remember?

[LiberalDemIda]

He has a party of one: Independent Democrat. That's what he called himself, and he caucuses with the Democrats. On the other hand, Ben Nelson of Nebraska calls himself a Democrat but I think his voting record with Democrats is something like 70%. Lieberman's is 90% - so far.

[JessWonderin]

Gotta GUARANTEE those welfare checks -oops, Permanent FUND Checks and keep the Federal Handouts flowing in . . . seems even having the HIGHEST per capita FEDERAL PORK Feed is not "enough" . . . maybe we could save some taxpayer funds by selling Alaska back to Russia, they MUST be closer than the Lower 48, after all you can see Russia from Wallisa . . . .

[JackND]

Here we go again.

If all Democrats had to hold to the standard some here impose on them, Democrats would never have a prayer at being in the majority. It's better to have some liberal Democrats and some moderate "Blue Dog" Democrats who together form a majority then require all your Democrats to be liberal for your own self-satisfaction, but also perpetually a minority.

Nancy Pelosi, to her pragmatic credit, knows this full well. Which is probably why so many liberals dislike her.

[Carolab]

No, this is a GREAT thing Begich is debating this.

[Bettysdad]

Alaska is the largest per-capita recipient of Federal funds.

Like Palin, Begich needs to shut up, sit down, and follow the instructions of those paying the freight.

[Carolab]

BANG! Right out of the gate.

If you don't know the history of the Begiches read up about Mark's father and his brother, Nick.

[eus]

Can someone enlighten me? I thought there wasnt enough oil in ANWR to even rouse the interest of the big oil companies. Whats the real story?

[Carolab]

Read what Mark's brother, researcher par excellence Nick Begich says. The real story is that in Alaska environmentalists are being used as a front to keep this country from using the natural resources that are there when we most need them. You would not believe how much Nick Begich says the capacity is in Alaska for natural gas and just about anything else you can name.

There has been a campaign to limit access in order to "conserve" what is there and keep us on foreign oil and other resources elsewhere in the country/world.

[Cybersquirt]

Yeah, the exactly what environmentalists want: to keep "us" on foreign oil.

Got nothing to do with the Exxon spill or pipeline leaks, the off-shore oil disater that prompted the ban and the EPA or the fact that ANWAR is the LAST bit of wilderness we got.

Speaking of campaigns...

[Carolab]

Northern Slopes Of Alaska Have Enough Oil Reserves To Supply USA For More Than 200 Years

The Energy Non-Crisis By Lindsey Williams

RETIRES AFTER DEATH-THREATS, NOW READ HIS BOOK FREE ON-LINE

http://radicalfilms.co.uk/2008/06/08/northern-slopes-of-alaska-have-enough-oil-reserves-to-supply-usa-for-more-than-200-years-the-energy-non-crisis-by-lindsey-williams/

[eus]

I'll look into that. Heres my post from below:

I dont see why we shouldnt be using everyone elses oil if it means saving our own....we dont have that much. Cutting down on use is important, but if we were extracting our own would it really stay in the USA anyway? Big oil is multinational and is sold on the world market. It just means a few more jobs and then its over and gone.

I havent referenced what youre referring to, those are just my thought s for now.

[Social Construct]

Me too. I hope a fellow commenter can shed some light here.

[Carolab]

Research Nick Begich about resources on the north slope of Alaska and the mysterious d e a th by plane c r a s h of their father Nick Senior.

[Cybersquirt]

I'd suggest doing some research of your own because, as you can see by Carolab's reply, there's plenty of bias.

[Cybersquirt]

PS - all it takes is a shortage to change people's minds, hmm?

[Britishdemocrat]

I welcome criticism against Lieberman if it is this., that Lieberman was a Democrat in 2000 and stood against us last year when we needed all the support we could get. Obama should not let Liberman back into the Democratic Party if that is what he wants. Lieberman made the decision to campaign for the Republicans and should now live with their loss.