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Defense Appropriations bill H.R. 2863 (included the provision to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)

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  • Sen. Max Baucus Against drilling
    Sen. Conrad Burns For drilling
    Rep. Denny Rehberg For drilling

    After much pressure from the public and constituents, on December 21, 2005, the U.S. Senate voted to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This was accomplished via a filibuster of the Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 2863), which included a provision to drill in the Refuge. To break the filibuster, pro-drilling senators required 60 votes, but fell short with only 56 votes. Once this crucial vote proved that the bill could not pass with Arctic drilling included, the Senate formally voted 48-45 to completely remove all Arctic drilling language from the bill.

    Montana Senator Max Baucus voted to maintain the wildlife and wilderness values currently protected in Alaska’s great Arctic treasure.

    Disappointingly, Senator Conrad Burns voted to drill in the nation’s largest wildlife sanctuary.

    The provision to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, buried deep in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill as a rider, garnered support from Representative Dennis Rehberg when he voted for drilling in the Refuge on December 19, 2005.

    Taking Action:> Please contact Sen. Baucus and thank him for his support of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge! Contact Rep. Rehberg and Sen. Burns and ask them to explain their support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

    An explanation of the votes and actions related to this bill is below:

    Why the Arctic Is Irreplaceable

    What makes the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge so unique is that life here continues largely free of human influence. Thus, large-scale ecological processes continue in this vast area mostly undisturbed. In fact, management of the Refuge was established for special protection because the area encompasses an uninterrupted continuum of arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems. As stated on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s official website (www.arctic.fws.gov): “Here, one can traverse the boreal forest of the Porcupine River plateau, wander north up the rolling tiaga uplands, cross the rugged, glacier-capped Brooks Range, and follow any number of rivers across the tundra coastal plain to the lagoons, estuaries, and barrier islands of the Beaufort Seas coast, all without encountering an artifact of civilization.”

    In addition to providing habitat to myriad animal, bird and fish species, the refuge is home to the Porcupine Caribou Herd (named after the Porcupine River). The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is situated within the main range of the Porcupine Herd, which numbers an astounding 152,000 animals! The Refuge is also the ancestral land of the Inupiaq Eskimos of the arctic coast and the Athabascan Indians of the interior.

    Most Americans want to see the irreplaceable Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remain protected from oil drilling.

    For More Information/Organizations Working on This Issue:

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