A 1995 Dittman survey yielded similar results, with 75 percent of Alaskans saying they backed ANWR drilling, and just 19 percent opposed.

In the Inupiat Eskimo villages near ANWR, support is even higher. A January 2000 survey in the village of Kaktovik found that 78 percent of residents back more energy exploration in their own backyard. Only 9 percent were opposed.

In 1995, the Alaska Federation of Natives, which represents 80,000 Eskimos, adopted a resolution supporting ANWR drilling, calling it a "critically important economic opportunity for Alaska natives."

With ANWR drilling winning landslide support in those earlier surveys, it's easy to see why mainstream pollsters haven't bothered to check with the Eskimos again on the hotly contested proposition.

What's more, it's not just dreams of an economic boom driving support for ANWR, according to Alaska State Sen. Dr. Donald Olson, a Democrat who represents the Inupiat Eskimos.

"They do not have running water or a sewer system," he told columnist Deroy Murdock in 2001. "That means they are relegated to Third World conditions where people have to melt ice to bathe and to drink. They use five-gallon containers for sanitation."

The backward sanitation system is a breeding ground for sometimes-fatal cases of hepatitis A - and contributes to high infant mortality rates.

Eskimos actually own 92,000 acres within ANWR's perimeter as a result of a federal grant in the 1980s. But they can't lease exploration rights until Congress opens up the federal part of the refuge.

In other areas of Alaska where the oil companies have been allowed to drill, the standard of living has increased dramatically, the locals say.

But thanks to the success of the environmental lobby in keeping ANWR off limits, the Inupiat Indians have been forced to live in poverty.

A January 2005 Harris Interactive survey found that nationwide, Americans back drilling in ANWR by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent.

Editor's note: