Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin staunchly opposed listing the polar bear as an endangered species, arguing that the federal designation could hurt drilling such as Shells plans to extract oil from the Chukchi Sea, where polar bears have lived for millennia.
Sarah Palin
Palin, polar bears, Shell Oil and The Nature Conservancy
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In Alaska I broke the lobbyist and special interests that had controlled big oil. We are going to make this nation energy-independent.
Sarah Palin is not such a small-town girl after all
Palin quickly realised that Alaska had the potential to become a much bigger player in global energy politics, a conviction that grew as the price of oil rose. Alaska had been in hock to oil companies since major production began in the mid-1970s. As with most poor, distant places that suddenly receive great natural-resource wealth, the first generation of politicians were mesmerised by the magnificence of the crumbs falling from the table. Palin was the first of the next generation to realise that Alaska should have a place at that table.