Who's Going To Get Drilled--ANWR...or US?

As you've likely heard, the senate paved the way for drilling in ANWR. There are of course a lot of ways to look at this issue. But one of the most important ways to look at it is the way that oil companies look at it, don't you think? Well, according to this article, oil companies have withdrawn their interest in ANWR. For whatever series of reasons, they're insufficiently impressed that ANWR is something they want to do.

I'll wait 'til you pull yourself off the floor, because I know that you've surely fallen out of your chair with that little revelation. To recap here, there's been a several-year off-n-on campaign to open up ANWR for oil exploration. There have for years been running battles between forces of both sides, and today it came down to the wire, and by a 51-49 vote, those who would protect ANWR lost. And...the oil companies aren't interested in drilling there??

So...what's the real battle here? Is there something we're missing that may have nothing to do with ANWR? Fill me in if you know something. I have to say, it's pretty hard not to get cynical with these folks calling the shots in Washington DC. I'm workin' on it, but it's no easy haul.

I'll leave you with some sage words from Vermont's Senator Pat Leahy which put it all into perspective: "...simply raising automobile efficiency standards by less than half a mile per gallon would save as much oil as may ever exist in the Alaskan refuge."

Jeez.