Why not lock it up?

To the editor:

The reason President Barack Obama is locking up Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil development is because the state wouldn’t get anything from this development. The state is giving all of the money it would make from oil going through the pipeline this year and next year to the oil companies plus an additional $500 million of cash from the state’s savings account. The state’s motto is “Ask not what the oil companies can do for you, but what you can do for the oil companies.” The state is following its motto to the letter. If ANWR were developed, the state would give all of the money it would get from the oil to the oil companies plus additional hundreds of millions of dollars from its savings. So what the hey? The state is only going to give everything back to the oil companies anyway, plus give away additional free millions of dollars. So why develop it? Why not lock it up?

John Suter

Chugiak