White House pushes Congress to ok Alaska drilling

[sabra]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-12-12T190711Z_01_DIT268817_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-CONGRESS.xml&archived=False

White House pushes Congress to ok Alaska drilling


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bush administration officials on Monday urged Congress to include opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling in a broad budget-cutting bill that could see a vote this week.

ANWR drilling is one of several politically sensitive items that will be in play when Senate and House negotiators try to finalize legislation to cut federal government spending by at least $35 billion over five years.

The Senate included ANWR in its package of spending cuts. But the House-passed budget bill dropped the ANWR drilling provision after a group of moderate Republicans threatened to vote against the measure if the drilling language was included.

The Bush administration stepped up its lobbying efforts to give oil companies access to the refuge.

[Supersedeas]

1. another conference committee throat job

[phusion]

2. The Pombo Amendment

in this same budget-cutting bill would be just as, if not more, devastating than opening ANWR. Both of these measures must be stopped.

[badgervan]

3. Revenge on Traitors

Any legislator that votes for drilling in Anwar will be going against the will of the great majority of us ( big surprise, I know ). But they also have to consider November, 2006. Don't know about the rest of you, but I have a very good, and very long, memory.