Live at 2 15 eastern. That on cspan as well. The Senate Energy and National Resources Committee Held a hearing on Wildland Fire Management programs. We hear from officials with the u. S. Forest service and the interior department as well as state officials from california and alaska. Good morning. Committee will come to order. Discuss thetoday to outlook for the 2019 wildfire season. We know it is underway, certainly in my state. I know its underway in washington state, california, most certainly. Westall received virginia, you are ok right now. But if you look at that map, the red in the southwest is something to Pay Attention to as well. Last week, the National Interagency fire center released its potential outlook for june through september and despite relief from the oppressive Drought Conditions this past winter, analysts addict elevated wildfire activity in california, oregon, and washington, among other areas in the country. Some of the some believe the stage is set for fire act
Politics, Paul Wellstone told us, is about the improvement of peoples lives. I know that the work ive been able to do has improved peoples lives. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. For a decade now every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and it would get me back up on my feet. I know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving peoples lives. And i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Sullivan madam president . The presiding officer the senator from alaska. Mr. Sullivan madam president , i ask that following disposition of the balash nomination the senate proceed to consideration of executive calendar 167 as under the previous order. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Sullivan madam president , i have five requests for committees to meet during todays session of t
Hurricanes, terror attacks and mass shootingses, help us to rely on your strength to envision and build a stronger, more secure america. Give us more visionaries like father Edward Flanagan who founded boys town on december 12, 100 years ago. Father flanagan was an irish immigrant who lived the American Dream and taught us all that even the most troubled child could grow up to be a useful citizen if given half the chance. He saw the best in the kids that others rejected as useless. Help us, but especially each of our senators, to see the best in those who have different political or social views so we can, together, build an america that enables and calls forth the best in its citizens. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer the clerk will
When Congress Last debated opening anwr to oil and Gas Development, people made arguments about the use of new technology and how it would minimize the impact on anwr. Since then a lot of the claims have borne out in the industry. We will share some of them today. A couple are directional. Extended reach Multi Lateral drilling techniques that allow wells to be drilled in all directions from a well pad kind of like spokes on a bicycle wheel. Directional drilling has been around since the 1970s. But at that time it was did not allow the reach that we can now. And so you could drill a few square miles around a pad. I have a figure thats been shown before in the hearing today. You can see a couple, three square miles using technology from the 1970s and fast forward to the run on the far right, 12acre pad where a rig can reach out and cover 125 square miles. That means that you can space pads in modern development up to ten miles apart and that there is little to no surface impact between t
Good morning everyone. Committee will come to order. We meet this morning to consider opening a very small portion of alaskas 1002 area to responsible Energy Development to meet the 1 billion budget reconciliation instruction that our Committee Received last week. The 1002 area covers 1. 57 million acres of land in northeast alaska within the nonwilderness portion. You bring it over here, sean. Within the nonwilderness portion of an war. And i think its important to put this in context in terms of the areas we are talking about. Anwar itself is 19 million acres. Approximately the size of south carolina. The nonwilderness area, is approximately the size of delaware. The area here is designated as federal wilderness. So when were talking about anwr itself, i think its importedant to recognize there are parts that are designated as wilderness, parts within the refuge and parts, the 1002 area specifically been designated for consideration for oil and Gas Exploration. So again i want to be