To Open Up ANWR

Having grown up in Alaska in the Southeast with its salmon, Sitka Spruce, glaciers and many eagles and bears

Put my way through college and part of law school with my seining shares

Even clerked one summer in the capital of the state

Probably would have stayed there forever if I could have found more attractive dates

Alaska remains by spiritual compass like the North Star for sailors who ply the sea

My father a pioneer there for 50 years is buried in an Alaskan cemetery

My mother in a Alaska was a registered nurse

Just couldn’t stand the cold rains monsoon like curse

Still an honorary member of the Class of 65 even though graduated in the lower 48

My memories of school, seining, clerking and visiting are always first rate

I have studied TAPS until blue in the face and but for the Exxon Valdez spill

In terms of environmental  damage, the  pumping and transporting of oil has incurred a minute bill

With a new president who will remove the shackles of taxes and regulations that Obama has put in place

That will spark an economic resurgence and start to the bloated Obama debt reduce and erase

The 19 million acres known as ANWR by Carter from drilling in 1980 set aside

A new president will want legislation to no longer to those restrictions abide

The Blues with more than 40 seats in the Senate will fight tooth and nail

But with a House amendment to a  budget reconciliation bill they will fail

Before they claim a war by big oil and the Reds on the flora and fauna in the state I adore

A little oil economics in a capitalist model a private sector company cannot ignore

If oil remains at less than $60 to $70 a barrel the companies will lose money on each ANWR barrel they remove and transport to the tanker ships

Unlike the feds who can print money till the cows come home continuing to losing money will be firings and a turning off of the red ink spigot

The oil will remain in the ground while alternative energy sources are continued to be developed at decreasing production costs

And the chance for a motorist to use that ANWR oil to the concern of the Greens will be forever lost.

The Blues need to choose very carefully the battleground hills they feel they need to climb

With costs of removal higher than price, this is a battle they should want to leave unfought, far, far behind

© December 15, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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