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US Senator Bingaman sees no ANWR in final energy bill |
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| USA: July 17, 2002 | ||
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NEW YORK - Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman this week said he doesn't expect the final U.S. energy bill to include a provision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration.
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"I think it's clear that the Senate would not go forward with that," the New Mexico Democrat told a conference in New York. Senate and House lawmakers are trying to hammer out a final energy bill before Congress adjourns in October. Negotiations are expected to take up the controversial issue of ANWR after returning from their summer recess in September. The Alaskan refuge, which stretches over 19 million acres (7.7 million hectare), an area roughly the size of South Carolina, is home to caribou, polar bears and other wildlife. ANWR may hold up to 16 billion barrels of oil. Commenting on oil's recent eight-week high of nearly $28 a barrel, Bingaman said, "The price of oil is not market driven, it's being manipulated by producers," including OPEC.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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