WASHINGTON (voa) – U.S. government researchers say a Bush administration proposal to drill for oil in Alaska’s protected wildlife refuge would pose a threat to many species of animals and birds living on the state’s untouched northern coastal plain.
The researchers (from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Interior Department) issued a report Friday saying caribou, snow geese, musk oxen, polar bears and migrating birds are especially vulnerable to the types of disturbances that development of the area would create. Their report was issued about two weeks before the U.S. Senate is due to begin debate on the administration proposal.
An energy bill, including provisions for drilling in the Alaskan wildlife refuge, passed the House of Representatives in August.
President Bush wants to begin drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil. Government officials have said only a very small part of the refuge would be affected, and that risks to wildlife could be reduced by closely managing oil production.
But Democrats and environmental groups strongly oppose the drilling because of the risk of environmental damage.
Scientists who conducted the study based their findings on 12 years of research into wildlife activity and ecology in the area.
On another environmental issue, the Bush administration said Friday it is working to help farmers irrigate crops and ensure the health of local protected fish populations in the Klamath River Basin in (the western states of) Oregon and California.
A White House statement said a federal working group has been assigned to address the issue, as well as consult with local American Indians to address their concerns about the Klamath River Basin.
President Bush is spending Easter at his ranch in the southern state of Texas.
