The Arctic: Threatened By Sneak Attack
congresswatch | Arctic | Energy | Land | Pollution
We had hoped the coast was clear after the Senate’s December 2005 decision to vote down the controversial proposal to drill in the irreplaceable Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But yet again, the fate of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is up for debate, as Congress now tackles the Federal Budget. The Bush Administration and congressional drilling proponents have already announced they will try to attach Arctic drilling language to legislation in 2006. The struggle to protect America's premier wildlife sanctuary is not over by any means.
Policy changes in the current Federal Budget Resolution include provisions to drill in the Refuge, despite the fact that national polls consistently show a majority of the American public opposes opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. According to the website www.anwr.org, an ill advised organization in favor of opening the pristine Arctic Refuge to oil drilling, The Bush Administration recently released figures for a national 2007 budget, including an estimated 7 billion dollars in new revenues from federal lease sales in the Refuge. This is an increase of nearly 3 fold from the original $2.4 billion estimate in 2004-5 budget years by the Office of Management and Budget!
Yet the coastal plain represents the last 5 percent of Alaska's vast North Slope that remains off-limits to oil and gas development. Experts at the U.S. Geological Survey say the Arctic Refuge holds less than a year’s supply of oil and it would take 10 years to access it.
As you may recall, in a December 2005 Senate vote, Senator Max Baucus voted to maintain the wildlife and wilderness values currently protected in Alaska’s great Arctic treasure, which is also a world treasure. Senator Conrad Burns unfortunately voted to drill in the nation’s largest wildlife sanctuary.
Please thank Senator Baucus and urge him to continue his support of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Please contact Senator Burns and Representative Dennis Rehberg and urge them to oppose any budget language that includes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For more information, contact the following organizations working on this issue:
