ATA Calls for Opening ANWR to Oil Exploration

merican Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said Friday that ATA backs opening Alaska’s Artic National Wildlife Refuge as part of a comprehensive national energy plan.

At a Capitol Hill press conference, Graves joined Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) along with Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other officials including representatives of the Teamsters union in detailing how opening ANWR could help reduce U.S. reliance on foreign energy sources.

“An uninterrupted fuel supply is essential to meet the nation’s transportation needs,” Graves said. “ANWR represents one very important component of this comprehensive strategy. As a domestic energy source, ANWR can provide a means to further protect the nation from disruptions and fluctuations in the foreign oil markets.”

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