Teamsters Back Opening of Arctic Wildlife Refuge
Mar 29, 2001 12:00 PM, Modern Bulk Transporter staff
International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P Hoffa has announced the union’s support for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for energy resource exploration.“Working families are about to be caught between a recession and a deepening energy crisis,” Hoffa said. “By tapping into petroleum resources in Alaska, we can create jobs and stabilize our economy by lessening our dependence on foreign oil.”
Hoffa’s remarks were made at a Capitol Hill press conference supporting the inclusion of oil and gas leasing on the coastal plain of the ANWR in the National Energy Security Act of 2001. More than 735,000 new jobs would be created by the legislation. Teamsters in Alaska would benefit by the creation of more than 25,000 new jobs in maintenance and support of the project.
“American jobs and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive,” Hoffa said. “Alaskan oil fields currently use the most environmentally sensitive technology in the world. Only a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be used, about 2000 acres—roughly one-fifth the size of Washington’s Dulles Airport.”
