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Ralph Hall offers bill to deed ANWR coastal plain to State of Alaska.
By Paul Gleiser | July 23, 2008 | 
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Gasoline prices have become close to the top issue in the presidential campaign. Representative Ralph Hall (R-TX/4) introduced a bill today in the House of Representatives that would deed the Alaska Coastal Plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to the State of Alaska. This Coastal Plain is the area within ANWR believed to hold approximately 10 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
The Coastal Plain is a small part of the 19 million acres that currently comprise ANWR. The balance of ANWR aside from the Coastal Plain would remain as federal land.
The bill would require the state to share with the federal government 50 percent of the tax and royalty income arising from oil and gas production in Coastal Plain.
In announcing the bill, Hall said:
“This bill is totally different from the multiple attempts to drill on ANWR over the past 15 years. I offer something different. I offer something that should appeal to anyone who believes in States’ Rights. This bill came to mind last week – when I said to myself – if we can’t drill in ANWR, let’s give it back to those who can and will.”
Read the press release from Ralph Hall’s office here.
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