Forget ANWR, how about drilling in NPRA?

Calls for drilling in ANWR died down after the 2006 congressional
elections, but the most recent run-up in oil and gasoline prices is
leading to renewed calls.

Watergate burglar and talk radio show host G. Gordon Liddy is
scheduled to broadcast his show live from Alaska in July, with the
sup****t of Arctic Power, the lobbying group that has spent 16 years
and $11 million of Alaskan state money to get Congress to open ANWR.

And today President Bush said American's wouldn't be so pinched at the
pump if Congress had approved drilling in ANWR when he first took
office. He is also saying it's time to let the drilling begin.

How much oil is in ANWR? No one really knows for sure, but the latest
estimate is between 5.7 billion and 16.0 billion barrels within the
1002 area.

One thing you don't hear much about in this discussion: there's
another bigger chunk of land in Alaska that since after World War I
has been set aside specifcally for oil exploration.

The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska is about 60 miles West of
Prudhoe Bay and has actually seen some exploration and production.

How much oil is in NPRA? According to the latest study between 5.9 and
13.2 billion barrels , but again you can't really tell unless you
start to drill.

So if we have a huge chunk of land with a "drill here" sign on it why
do we need to open ANWR?
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  I can answer that question: because Republicans are all about
scoring political points, not about solving problems.
Republicans, especially usenet Republicans, have never cared whether
there was actually any oil under ANWR. They only cared about opposing
environmentalists.
  That's why drilling for oil where no one really cares doesn't appeal
to Republicans.