Land swap for ANWR?

Sean Parnell, lieutenant governor and a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, proposed a land swap as a way of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“I propose a land swap of 2,000 acres of state land to the federal government in exchange for 2,000 acres of the coastal plain in ANWR into state hands,” Parnell said at a press conference Tuesday in Fairbanks.
Parnell said he could work with Gov. Sarah Palin and the administration to identify the 2,000 acres of state land that would be traded, perhaps extending a portion of ANWR by 2,000 acres.

Could this defuse the controversy? In a land swap, the federal government would not lose an inch of overall land. If Alaska offered adjoining land from an area with actual wildlife on it, it would serve to bolster the preserve’s actual mission. The state would then take responsibility for the parcel where oil extraction would take place, and Alaska would have little trouble overcoming any objections from state groups to get oil flowing as soon as possible from that spot.

Just do it already people. ANWR is 19,049,236 acres for cryin' out loud. The ecochondriacs have stood in the way long enough.



Hat tip to Hot Air for the link, btw.

Words of wisdom from the great Ed Morrissey



Just do it!

ecochondriacs

Just do it!

It's the principal of the thing. If Anwar was in the middle of a garbage dump the ecochondriacs would be against it. You see besides the fact that they just hate oilmen because it's politically cool to do so, they also believe that if you cannot drill and seek alternative energies at the same time.

Hey, that's a damned nice turn of phrase, Tristan.


What's in it FOR ME?

yeah, a slight of hand....if alaska takes the land from us in a swap, they take OUR RICHES....oil, then THEY get a cut of the profits/proceeds....leaving us, the original owners, who bought the land from alaska i believe, empty handed!!!

i WANT MY CUT!!!

care

Do you get a cut of the resources in Maine ?