Alaska Drilling Ban Lifted

Tuesday, President Bush lifted a drilling ban that has prevented oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Bristol Bay since the tragic Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. This will open 5.6 million acres of marine habitat and prime fisheries to potential drilling. Leases may be made available as early as 2010 if environmental reviews and public comment do not reverse the decision.

The decision has received mixed reactions. Many see it as an opportunity to create jobs and enhance the local economy which is dominated by fishing. Environmentalists and local fishermen worry about potential damage to the endangered Right Whale habitat and wild salmon runs.

A drilling ban on 8.2 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico was lifted by Congress as one of its last acts of 2006.