A recent headline: “As oil companies show little interest, feds cancel plans for drilling off Alaska shores.”
Well, gee, No wonder. They figured out quite a while ago that the cost of studying, preparing, planning, and bidding on something that’s not going to happen is a huge and expensive waste — a sham, and charade.
When was the last time an auction was held in which the bids were honored within a reasonable time and without hundreds of thousands — if not millions — more dollars forced to be spent to attempt to begin development? It’s been years.
Consistently, the auction is posted. The bids are made. Then the lawsuits from the protesters, environmentalists, and those opposed to responsibledevelopment, mostly Outside- funded, begin. And they don’t stop until the money that would have been spent drilling operating and producing wells has been spent just navigating the jungle of legal protests to the bids and operations. It’s a true and complete waste of money and time on their part.
The entire mineral and oil development potential of Alaska is literally held at bay by repeated legal challenges until the protestors beat the developers into submission. And we Alaskans lose. No development, construction, or operations jobs. No income from taxes levied. No progress or future. No wonder our workforce is dwindling and leaving.
— Dan Tucker
Wasilla
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